While locked up in a Manhattan courtroom, former President Trump is using his audition for a running mate to assemble an army of surrogates willing to defend him and sympathize with his cause.
As vice presidential candidates vie for President Trump’s attention and support, they flood the airwaves to promote his candidacy and attack President Biden.
Republican Sens. Tim Scott (South Carolina) and Marco Rubio (Florida), as well as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (R), are all on President Trump’s list of running mate candidates. He appeared on Sunday political shows. The former president may agree.
Trump himself acknowledged this strategy in an interview Tuesday. Allies said the former president is likely to design a selection process to maintain a long list of candidates vying for the role.
“They’re all campaigning,” Trump told Spectrum News 1 in Wisconsin. “Actually, this method may be more effective, because they all think there is a chance that they will be selected, which I think they probably are, but we We have a lot of talent, we have a lot of great surrogates…it’s really great.” Agents, many of whom are being considered as candidates for vice president. ”
Trump, who is considered to be the Republican presidential nominee, has a list of potential vice presidential candidates, including Scott, Rubio, Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Rep. Elise Stefanik (New York), and Governor of Arkansas. The list continues to grow. Rep. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), Rep. Byron Donald (R, Florida), and others.
The former president has remained tight-lipped about who he would recommend as his running mate, downplaying the potential impact on the November election and may not make an announcement until closer to the Republican National Convention, scheduled for mid-July. It suggests.
Therefore, those vying for the vice presidential spot need to do everything they can to stay in President Trump’s favor and get his attention in order to stay ahead of the competition. In many cases, that means appearing on television, which President Trump often watches.
Sean Spicer, who served as one of President Trump’s White House press secretaries, said: “Everyone now has a good idea of how President Trump makes decisions. He sees almost everything. There’s no question about that,” he said. “It’s basically just having a conversation with him.”
It will also give them a chance to come forward while President Trump spends up to four days a week sitting off camera in court during his hush money trial in New York.
Scott, the South Carolina senator seen as one of the frontrunners to flip to the Republican Party, vows in a “Meet the Press” interview on Sunday that he will accept the results of the 2024 election no matter who wins. He repeatedly refused. The appearance comes days after Trump himself hedged on whether he would accept the election results.
Mr. Vance, another front-runner for vice presidential nomination, last week downplayed Mr. Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, saying that then-Vice President Mike Pence’s life was ever in jeopardy. He said he was skeptical about what had happened. Trump similarly minimized the violence of January 6 throughout his 2024 campaign.
And Burgum appeared on CNN on Sunday to criticize the hush-money trial in New York and defend some of former President Trump’s controversial comments at a donor rally the day before. That included the former president comparing the Biden administration to the Gestapo.
Having a stable surrogate on the airwaves would be especially useful for Trump, who is facing charges of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Mr. Trump speaks to reporters before and after court each day, making similar complaints about not being able to participate in campaign activities and calling the case political interference. Trump has used his post-trial holidays for limited campaigning, holding rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan, but otherwise spending his free time playing golf and attending private fundraisers. .
Strategists and Trump supporters argued that it would be wise for President Trump to continue prolonging the vice presidential selection process as long as the Manhattan scandal continues.
“He’s not going to pick anyone right now because he’s on the court. He needs everyone to have the strongest representation possible,” said one Republican strategist. “And frankly, this is a good test when everyone is competing so hard.”
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has indicated he is open to a future role in a Trump administration, likened the ongoing veepstakes to Trump’s pre-political career.
“Trump is going to play this like The Apprentice,” McCarthy said Tuesday at a Milken Institute conference. “He’s going to get it done. He’s going to get you involved. [Truth Social] …And no matter who you think is in front, someone will come from behind. It would make great television. ”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
