Speculation on who Donald Trump will select as his Vice Presidential running mate has run rampant in recent months.
Many thought that speculation would continue for at least a couple more months.
But Donald Trump Jr. just let the cat out of the bag on who his father’s running mate will be.
Conventional wisdom throughout Republican political circles has indicated that former President Donald Trump will announce his Vice Presidential running mate selection at some point prior to July’s Republican National Convention.
Furthermore, based on media reports, it has been thought that Trump is most likely to select a female for the position in order to help boost his appeal to suburban, female voters, who he underperformed with in 2020.
Trump himself has publicly named numerous individuals he is considering as potential running mates, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and even former Hawaii Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who has reportedly already rejected an offer from Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his running mate.
But while most Americans will simply have to wait to find out if he makes the right choice, Donald Trump Jr. is apparently working to ensure that his father doesn’t repeat the many hiring mistakes that led to him filling his administration with establishment shills.
To that end, Trump Jr. told Politico that his father would be approaching his Vice Presidential running mate choice far differently than he did when he chose RINO former Vice President Mike Pence in 2016.
The former President’s son explained that while the goal in 2016 was to “balance” Trump’s candidacy with an establishment RINO to reassure the ruling class elites who control the Party, his only concern this time around is finding someone who will actually take on the Washington, D.C. “Swamp.”
“When people didn’t know Trump beyond sort of the TV personality or the business guy, you needed a little more balance. And I think that made a lot of sense with Mike Pence at the time,” Trump Jr. told Politico. “Now, I think we see where our country is, you need someone who’s actually going to fight.”
The younger Trump’s comments echoed a sentiment he’s been sharing for months now.
During an interview with Newsmax back in January, he told the audience that he’s pushing for his father to select someone who is “principally in alignment” with the populist, America First message and is “aggressive,” citing both Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Tucker Carlson as examples.
“I’d love to see a JD Vance,” Trump Jr. told Newsmax. “I’d love to see a Tucker Carlson. I’d love to see, you know, people who are just principally in alignment, as well as aggressive. You actually need a fighter. The Republicans in Washington, D.C. are weak.”
For his part, Senator Vance told Politico that while he’d be interested in serving alongside Trump if asked, he hasn’t been asked yet.
“I would be interested in doing it if he asked me, but he also hasn’t asked me,” Vance told Politico. “I don’t think he’s close to asking anybody. So I think it feels extremely premature.”
And Vance is right, Trump probably isn’t close to definitely naming his VP pick just yet, as there are a large number of potential candidates for him to consider and vet for the role.
“Unlike the Democrats who are stuck with a wildly unpopular President and Vice President, Trump has an embarrassment of riches in terms of who he can choose,” former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway told Politico. “The VP is the most important decision, but he is widely focused on personnel all around.”
Make no mistake about it, Trump’s biggest downfall as President was his hiring decisions.
Whether it’s Pence, former Trump UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Trump Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and William Barr, former Trump Secretary of Transportation — and establishment Senator Mitch McConnell’s (RINO-KY) wife — Elaine Chao, former Trump Chief of Staff and RNC Chair Renee Priebus, former Trump National Security adviser John Bolton, and so many more ruling class RINOs were able to undermine his Presidency at every turn.
So being focused on all personnel — not just his VP selection — is exactly what Trump should be doing throughout the remainder of three 2024 elections.
Should he pull off the win again, he cannot afford to be caught flat-footed, as he was in November 2016, and allow his second administration to be filled with those whose only allegiance is to the ruling class, not the working class.
And that could start with listening to Donald Trump Jr.’s advice on who his Vice Presidential running mate should be.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.