Puck News has an interesting piece out about Trump’s Veepstakes and it centers around Marco Rubio, Doug Burgum and JD Vance. It isn’t necessarily about who could help him win as much as it is about look and feel.
According to Puck, Melania wants Trump to pick Burgum and Don Jr. is lobbying hard for JD Vance.
Here’s more on what’s being said behind the scenes:
Trump was expected to announce his running mate sometime before Monday’s roll call, so that he could be nominated at the convention with the full ticket, and even leverage the enthusiasm at a rally this Saturday in Western Pennsylvania. But the R.N.C. just changed a rule that will now allow him to wait until the last minute on Thursday, just before he accepts the nomination.
The truth, I’m told by multiple sources, is that Trump doesn’t really care for Burgum or Vance, and he doesn’t see a running mate as a net benefit to his campaign. The idea of a vice presidential candidate receiving even a drop of credit for a Trump win in November irks him. “He doesn’t give much of a fuck about it. He doesn’t love any of these people; he doesn’t know these people,” said the same gloating Mar-a-Lago denizen. “With Burgum, he likes his look, but they haven’t actually spent a lot of time together, one-on-one, just maybe five, eight times. He doesn’t spend time with J.D. He didn’t give a fuck about Mike Pence.” Trump does have a strong relationship with Marco Rubio, who’s kept himself in the running thanks to the advocacy of Kellyanne Conway and Susie Wiles. If not veep, I’m hearing he could be on the shortlist for secretary of state.
Another source with knowledge of Trump’s veep deliberations said it’s come down to a battle between Melania, who prefers Burgum because she worked with his wife, Kathryn, on an initiative in the White House, and Don Jr., who’s been aggressively lobbying for Vance. “If it’s Melania over Don Jr., she wins,” said another source, albeit noting that it was the former first lady who encouraged Trump to endorse Dr. Oz over David McCormick in his losing Pennsylvania Senate race. “That was a major fuck-up on her part,” said a former Trump aide. “It cost her.”
The aides arguing for Vance are telling Trump that the junior senator’s youth would be an asset as a contrast to Biden, and that the Hillbilly Elegy narrative could play well in the Rust Belt, where there seems to be a real shot at cracking the Blue Wall in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Vance’s moderate-ish position on abortion—he recently said abortion pills should remain publicly accessible in states where it’s legal—is also seen as an asset. Burgum’s stance as governor of North Dakota, where he signed one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the nation, defies Trump’s political instincts about trying to neutralize the issue. As anyone close to Trump knows, he believes the G.O.P.’s surprising 2022 midterm losses had nothing to do with him or his endorsed roster of far-right candidates, and everything to do with abortion.
At the end of the day, however, Burgum has the central casting look. “He’s very seriously looking at each candidate’s hair,” said a source with knowledge of Trump’s thinking. “Doug’s got great hair; that’s what he demands in his V.P.” Vance’s beard may also be an issue, even though Trump told Fox News, “It looks good. It looks like a young Abraham Lincoln.” But another source close to Trump told me, “Trump hates facial hair; he fucking hates it. He likes the all-American look.”
For those who know Trump well, they believe he’ll go with Burgum for his Pence-ian fealty and his lack of ambition. “You’re handing over this entire MAGA universe that Trump built to someone who was not on board,” said one Trump consultant, pointing to the time Vance called Trump “America’s Hitler.” “J.D. is going to be running for office on day one. Burgum has no consultants around him; he’s not a threat.” Another source explained it more simply: “The Burgums just look the part.”
Whomever Trump chooses, the G.O.P. ticket will be on the stage in seven days at Fiserv Forum, home of the Milkwaukee Bucks. All of the Trump children have been invited to speak. Ivanka, who recently broke her silence about her father on the friendly shores of Lex Fridman’s podcast, has declined, I’m told. She’ll be there for Trump’s acceptance speech on Thursday, but not in an official capacity like Tiffany, Barron, and Don Jr., who are acting as delegates.
As for Ron DeSantis, who agreed to bury the hatchet with Trump and fundraise in exchange for a speaking slot at the convention—he only landed a spot after a “change in schedule,” certainly meant to embarrass him. “Ron DeSantis needs to be relevant. He needs to rehabilitate himself with MAGA, so he needs a spot at the convention,” said a source who was involved in the reunion. Nikki Haley, who recently released her delegates, is not attending the R.N.C., I’m told. “She’s been waiting to be asked to speak at the convention—she won’t ask,” said a source. “If she doesn’t get a speaking role at the convention, that’s it for her.” But that might be safer than being booed.