I just want to get this on the record. And these are just my predictions.
Had a discussion today on who Donald Trump is going to pick as his running mate when he wins the nomination for the GOP. It’s very bad, but don’t worry, they’ll lose in the end.
First of all, I’ve read all kinds of nonsense. I’ve read everything from Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, to South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, to radio host Larry Elder. All wrong.
He is definitely going to pick a woman. Second of all, Trump is NOT going to pick one of the loons, like Kari Lake, Marjorie Space Lazer, Bobo, or Laura Loomer, all of whom are dyed in the wool Trump sycophants. He loves having them around to suck up to him, but he thinks they are losers.
All of them would be a constant source of embarrassment, with Kari and Laura reminding people of their loser status. Also, each of them love the spotlight too much, and he will never pick someone who would get more attention.
Third, he is going to pick someone who is fiercely loyal. (Sorry, Nikki Haley.) Since he won’t pick a loon, this will be a tougher sell, but there are plenty. One is New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who has debased herself repeatedly for Trump. But he won’t pick her either for the same reason he won’t pick the one person he should, if he was smart.
Who should he pick? He should pick Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Sanders is a female governor, second-generation at that, so she’s smart enough not to constantly put her foot in her mouth. She’s right-wing and hateful enough for the MAGA crowd, is sufficiently bigoted for the marginalized communities, and has pleased many conservatives for opening up a war on kids. In other words, she’s terrible enough for the MAGAs but acceptable for the establishment non-MAGA Republicans.
Yet she won’t get picked for the same reason Elise Stefanik won’t. Why? Because Trump is who he is. The man who infamously rates every woman he meets has a “type,” and wants someone who meets his attractiveness standard to be next to him. Neither Stefanik or Sanders have that. If Sanders looked like Kayleigh McEnany, Hope Hicks, Jenna Ellis, or his own daughter, Ivanka, it would be game, set, match.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem seems to fit the bill, but she seems to have fallen out of favor and he’s got—at least in his mind—a much better option. The person he is going to pick, I predict, is former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Trump really believes that her status as a former Democrat will bring Democrats into his fold. It’s nutty, but he really thinks this is true, just as he thinks putting a woman on his ticket will some how make everyone forget his misogyny. Gabbard will jump at the chance too. She has been auditioning for Trump via Tucker Carlson, she’s got a military background, she meets his “type,” is pro-Putin, and she’s fiercely loyal. She hits all the marks he’s looking for.
Of course, all of this is moot. Trump will lose the general election. That is also my prediction. That’s not based on intuition, by the way. That’s logic. He lost in 2020 with the entire GOP apparatus behind him. He lost before he committed treason, before a judge confirmed he committed rape, and before he tried to overthrow the election he’d just lost. In other words, he is an even weaker candidate, and hasn’t done one thing to expand his base to get needed votes in any of the swing states, but he’s sure as hell lost votes.
I’m not ignorant enough to say that a threat isn’t still there, and he can’t win, but if I had to pick? I would much rather have the chances facing Team Biden. A lot of Republicans would too, they just can’t admit it.
Those are my predictions. What are yours?