Kristi Noem is out. Doug Burgum is up. Trump's VP shortlist gets shorter
Donald Trump has been asking for important documents from some members of his shortlist of VP candidates. Many media sources are reading this as a signal that Trump is taking a break from his tough schedule of golfing every day to get down to a little eeny meeny with the names of potential targets for his next insurrectionist mob. Axios has a list that seems to have most of those previously known to be under consideration. The exceptions appear to be biotech bro Vivek Ramaswamy, professional troll Tulsi Gabbard, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. This has to be hard for Noem. She got a face full of brand-new teeth, spruced up her MAGA bona fides, and even cleared up some personal obligations to prep herself for the role of Trump’s full-time footstool. Now it looks like she hasn’t even made the Great Eight, much less the Final Four. But there’s one name on the list that is getting more attention than anyone expected. The Axios list of those advancing to the next round of the winnowing process contains North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Tom Cotton, Rep. Byron Donalds, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Tim Scott, Rep. Elaine Stefanik, and Sen. J.D. Vance. Noem most likely lost her slot about the time Fox News admitted that murdering puppies seemed bad. Though someone probably had to explain this to Trump. Ramaswamy also seems to be out. The reason for this is unclear, but the answer may involve one guy who seems to be topping all the charts. No one ever really believed that Fox News mascot Gabbard was a serious contender. Except for possibly Gabbard, because she'll believe anything a right-wing authoritarian tells her. Axios shortlist is slightly shorter than before (though it does pack in Cotton, who is a newcomer to the crew), but CBS and NBC have a “shorter shorter shortlist” with just four names: Rubio, Burgum, Scott, and Vance. This has to be something of a relief to Scott, who can at least be comforted that he didn’t undergo abject humiliation without at least getting asked to the dance. It also has to be a surprise to Vance, who only reinvented himself as a true-red MAGA fanatic after starting in never-Trump territory. But the one man who is apparently getting the most word-of-mouth among those Trump allows also happens to be the man most likely to generate a universal chorus of “Who?” in 49 states: Burgum. Burgum has been a warm-up act at recent Trump rallies, he’s become a fixture at Mar-a-Lago, and he made the mandatory pilgrimage to Manhattan to sit in the courtroom during Trump’s criminal trial. CBS reports that Burgum is “especially well-liked and respected” by Trump’s campaign staff. Burgum and his wife are said to be frequent fliers on Trump’s private plane. As a white, conservative, male Republican from a state Trump won by almost 34% in 2020, Burgum might not seem to bring anything to the ticket in terms of widening the GOP base or reaching out to voters. But Republicans hate diversity. Besides, Burgum has one special feature that’s particularly attractive to Trump: He’s rich. Burgum has a net worth of at least $100 million. Trump has sometimes been forced to borrow large sums of money to cover his legal expenses because, for all his claims of being a billionaire, it seems his liquid assets runneth dry. It would be so much handier for Trump if he could combine a vice president with an ATM. Oh, and Marco Rubio is on the list. Funny, I thought Burgum was supposed to be the boring one. One name not on the list is that of Trump’s most successful primary opponent, Gov. Nikki Haley. Trump’s former U.N. ambassador may have swallowed her pride, and her morals, to endorse Trump, but that doesn’t mean the orange guy wants her around where she can always be eying his seat. Haley’s absence from the list is definitely a good thing for everyone who wants Trump to lose. RELATED STORY: Trump's VP wannabes rush to lick convicted felon's boots Donald Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records on May 30. What are potential voters saying about this historic news? And what is the Biden-Harris campaign doing now that the “teflon Don" is no more? Embedded Content Campaign Action
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Donald Trump has been asking for important documents from some members of his shortlist of VP candidates. Many media sources are reading this as a signal that Trump is taking a break from his tough schedule of golfing every day to get down to a little eeny meeny with the names of potential targets for his next insurrectionist mob.
Axios has a list that seems to have most of those previously known to be under consideration. The exceptions appear to be biotech bro Vivek Ramaswamy, professional troll Tulsi Gabbard, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
This has to be hard for Noem. She got a face full of brand-new teeth, spruced up her MAGA bona fides, and even cleared up some personal obligations to prep herself for the role of Trump’s full-time footstool. Now it looks like she hasn’t even made the Great Eight, much less the Final Four.
But there’s one name on the list that is getting more attention than anyone expected.
The Axios list of those advancing to the next round of the winnowing process contains North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Tom Cotton, Rep. Byron Donalds, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Tim Scott, Rep. Elaine Stefanik, and Sen. J.D. Vance.
Noem most likely lost her slot about the time Fox News admitted that murdering puppies seemed bad. Though someone probably had to explain this to Trump.
Ramaswamy also seems to be out. The reason for this is unclear, but the answer may involve one guy who seems to be topping all the charts.
No one ever really believed that Fox News mascot Gabbard was a serious contender. Except for possibly Gabbard, because she'll believe anything a right-wing authoritarian tells her.
Axios shortlist is slightly shorter than before (though it does pack in Cotton, who is a newcomer to the crew), but CBS and NBC have a “shorter shorter shortlist” with just four names: Rubio, Burgum, Scott, and Vance.
This has to be something of a relief to Scott, who can at least be comforted that he didn’t undergo abject humiliation without at least getting asked to the dance. It also has to be a surprise to Vance, who only reinvented himself as a true-red MAGA fanatic after starting in never-Trump territory.
But the one man who is apparently getting the most word-of-mouth among those Trump allows also happens to be the man most likely to generate a universal chorus of “Who?” in 49 states: Burgum.
Burgum has been a warm-up act at recent Trump rallies, he’s become a fixture at Mar-a-Lago, and he made the mandatory pilgrimage to Manhattan to sit in the courtroom during Trump’s criminal trial. CBS reports that Burgum is “especially well-liked and respected” by Trump’s campaign staff. Burgum and his wife are said to be frequent fliers on Trump’s private plane.
As a white, conservative, male Republican from a state Trump won by almost 34% in 2020, Burgum might not seem to bring anything to the ticket in terms of widening the GOP base or reaching out to voters. But Republicans hate diversity. Besides, Burgum has one special feature that’s particularly attractive to Trump: He’s rich.
Burgum has a net worth of at least $100 million. Trump has sometimes been forced to borrow large sums of money to cover his legal expenses because, for all his claims of being a billionaire, it seems his liquid assets runneth dry. It would be so much handier for Trump if he could combine a vice president with an ATM.
Oh, and Marco Rubio is on the list. Funny, I thought Burgum was supposed to be the boring one.
One name not on the list is that of Trump’s most successful primary opponent, Gov. Nikki Haley. Trump’s former U.N. ambassador may have swallowed her pride, and her morals, to endorse Trump, but that doesn’t mean the orange guy wants her around where she can always be eying his seat. Haley’s absence from the list is definitely a good thing for everyone who wants Trump to lose.
RELATED STORY: Trump's VP wannabes rush to lick convicted felon's boots
Donald Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records on May 30. What are potential voters saying about this historic news? And what is the Biden-Harris campaign doing now that the “teflon Don" is no more?
