Trump’s Veepstakes Begin
You’re not going to get a lot of suspense from a third Donald Trump presidential campaign. The American people know who this guy is, in sometimes excruciating detail; they know what he stands for politically; they know what kind of campaign he runs; and they know that he’s going to say some shocking things, even if they don’t know what.
One of the few outstanding questions is whom Trump might pick as a running mate, and when. Vice-presidential selections don’t tend to have much electoral impact, but the choice will be telling about what the former president thinks it might take to beat newly emboldened Republican rivals and Joe Biden or another Democrat. It also could have major long-term consequences: Given Trump’s advanced age and pesky habit of getting impeached, his vice president could be called to take over the top job if Trump returns to the White House.
[Read; Is Trump still a viable candidate? Yes and no.]
Trump has a few. He could try to unite the party and neutralize rivals by choosing a more establishment candidate, an echo of his choice of Mike Pence in 2016. Maybe he’d try to excite the base and fortify his own strengths by choosing a celebrity or conservative-media figure. Or perhaps, annoyed by the independence of some members of his first administration, he’ll pick a trusted adviser who would, as they say, “Let Trump be Trump.”
