From Nikki Haley to Majorie Taylor Greene, Trump has a lot to choose from between former rivals or MAGA allies.
Former President Donald Trump and his allies want to turn the page to the general election.
His double-digit win in New Hampshire Tuesday night and his strength in the remaining early states effectively means former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is running out of options. She’ll also have to grapple with the reality that top GOP officials increasingly want the primary to be over.
This leaves one major decision left for Trump: selecting a running mate. True, such selections normally occur far later in the calendar season. But the story of this entire primary, besides not being much of a story at all, is how it has thrown out the traditional playbook. There’s also some budding pressure for Trump to make his pick, so Republicans can turn their focus toward the general election.
Trump is no longer the political neophyte he was when he tapped then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to join him in July 2015. He has strengthened his grip on the GOP after a hostile takeover and the systematic targeting of most of the remaining old-guard members.
It doesn’t mean this decision will be easier.
Pence has described how Trump endangered his family on January 6, 2021, as then-president continued to lash out at the nation’s No. 2 even as rioters stormed the Capitol. There’s a long history of presidential neglect and disrespect toward the vice presidency. John Nance Garner, FDR’s first VP, famously deemed the post a « warm bucket of spit. » Needless to say, Trump’s treatment of Pence before and during the Capitol riot vastly exceeds any of that.
Then again, many Republicans who expressed outrage during the siege of the US Capitol have later come around to endorsing Trump. And in the modern era, there are few greater perches to launch or relaunch your national ambitions than to be the highest-ranking apprentice.Here’s a look at the names to watch as Trump continues his quest to retake the White House:Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley
Haley, who has remained clear her campaign will continue, has repeatedly said she’s not interested in being anyone’s vice president. Trump’s choice of Mike Pence illustrates that he could tap someone to unite the party, but it’s clear the former president is nowhere near happy with how that marriage ended.
Haley’s biggest strength would be her effort to appeal to independent voters. She could also hopefully repair Trump’s long-running struggles in the nation’s suburbs. It’s clear, though, that her decision to keep campaigning is starting to grate on Trump.Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina
The 58-year-old three-term senator endorsed Trump shortly before the New Hampshire primary. The South Carolinian also largely avoided criticizing Trump in a way that may have foreclosed him being on the ticket.
Polls showed GOP primary voters liked Scott almost as much as his Senate Republican colleagues. It’s worth noting that while the former president has a growing list of congressional allies, the Senate has repeatedly been an issue for him.Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida
Trump and his allies spent over a year ruthlessly attacking DeSantis. It was only toward the end of his disappointing primary that the 45-year-old began to return fire.
