As politicos debate who former President Donald J. Trump might choose as his running mate, a series of remarks in North Charleston sounded a little like a hint.
While President Trump has discounted former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as a vice presidential pick before, his language on Feb. 14 about his chief competitor for the Republican presidential nomination was memorably definitive.
“She will never be running for vice president,” he told the crowd soon after opining that Ms. Haley and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “both stink.”
He argued that he and the former U.N. ambassador had reached a level of mutual verbal ferocity, particularly on his part, that would rule her out as vice president.
“I hope nobody wants her, because I think she’s absolutely terrible,” he added.
“I don’t think anybody’s very devastated. We do have a lot of great people, by the way,” the former president continued, before a shout he heard from the crowd led him to pivot to praise of Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).
“He’s a modest person. I called him up, because he was defending me on ‘Deface the Nation,’” the former president began, using his typical satirical version of the name of the show “Face the Nation.”
“I watched him [Mr. Scott] the other day on the Sunday shows. He’s just destroying people for me! But he didn’t act that way for himself. And he said to me, ‘I find it harder to talk about myself than to something I believe in—something other than myself that I believe in.’ I thought it was beautiful, and I want to thank him,” President Trump said.
Mr. Scott is one of many names referenced in discussions of a possible vice president. But others, such as South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), have often come ahead of him after Mr. Scott turned in a lackluster performance in the pre-primary presidential campaign season. His campaign received large donations from Oracle’s Larry Ellison, who also helped fund Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) unsuccessful 2016 campaign.
President Trump visited North Charleston as part of his campaigning ahead of the South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary, which takes place Feb. 24.
He spoke just days ago at a rally in Conway, South Carolina. President Trump’s topics during that speech included Robert Hur’s special counsel report, which drew renewed attention to the elderly leader President Joe Biden’s mental competency.
“The special counsel’s report tries to let Biden off by claiming that he is too mentally incompetent to convict at a trial,“ President Trump said in Conway. ”But if Joe Biden is not fit to charge, then he is not fit to serve as our commander in chief.”
Early voting in that contest started Feb. 12 and will continue through Feb. 22. The race comes several weeks after Democrats’ presidential primary in the state, which was also preceded by an early voting period.
Incumbent President Joe Biden dominated that contest, receiving more than 96 percent of the vote. The win came after a weaker victory in New Hampshire’s primary, where the president’s allies mounted a write-in campaign for him because he was absent from the primary ballot.
The South Carolina Election Commission reports that more than 33,802 votes were cast in the first two days of early voting for the Republican primary, on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13.
That’s significantly more than the 6,195 votes cast over the first two days of the Democratic Presidential Primary’s early voting period. Indeed, there were just 48,213 votes cast over the entirety of the early voting period, which included 11 days when the polls were open.
That means Republican early voting turnout is already over 70 percent of Democratic turnout—an indication, perhaps, of the greater interest in the still-open Republican contest than in a Democratic race that President Biden has all but squared away.
President Trump defeated Ms. Haley first in Iowa’s Republican caucus, where she finished third, and then in the New Hampshire primary.
The two did not compete against each other directly in Nevada. President Trump won the Nevada Republican Party-run caucus, while Ms. Haley lost the state-run primary to the option, “None of these candidates.” The former president was not an option on Nevada’s primary ballot.
I’m beginning to believe that had Trump run either a black or a woman in 2020 as his running mate instead of Casper Milktoast Pence, he would have won the election. The question Trump needs to answer is this,,,”Are there more Biden disgruntled economically destroyed blacks or more Biden disgruntled creeped out Women who can vote and put Trump over the top?” There are about 48 million American who identify themselves as Black or about 14.5%. Women are over 50% of our 333,287,557 population. Logic would dictate its not going to be a man or a black, but a woman, and its not going to be Haley or Tim Scott, but she will be relatively young, and extremely good looking. Having the Elephant as his party symbol is appropriate as his memory is long and an elephant never forgets, unlike our current President who cannot remember what he ate for breakfast, but his good guess would be an ice cream cone, or his last words. Dems claim that he can’t be prosecuted due to mental and age challenges,, is prima facie proof that even they view him as mentally inferior to Trump, and Trump is more qualified to lead. Joe’s outright lies are the very gun with which he shoots himself in the foot and cripples his own campaign. Just keep him talking and it will soon be over. If lying was a job, Joe would be a millionaire,,,,Oops maybe that is why he is.
THIs is why i am HAPPY with scott as his VP pick.
and Haley won’t have him as VP
Trump has proven over and over again he needs a adult in the room. Haley would be a good adult. He ,We the people, don’t another yes, man as VP.
The difference in turnout could also be the result of a lot of people who vote Democrat, taking a Republican primary ballot.
Here in NH, Trump got a little over 50% of the primary vote, but exit polling showed that about 70% of his voters were Republicans, and 30% described themselves as independent or Democrat. That leaves Haley with 30% of Republican voters, and 70% independent or Democrat.
Naturally, those who called themselves Democrats have no intention of voting for the Republican candidate in November—so why give them any influence in the GOP nomination process?!
Especially when in many cases, REPUBLICAN voters, don’t get to do the same bait and switch, for DEMOCRAT Primaries.. SO WHY is it allowed for dems to shift over??
That is why i support legislation that has it if you change parties to vote in the primary, YOU STAY THAT WAY FOR at least Two years before getting to ‘switch again’.
It really doesn’t matter who Trump picks as his VP because: 1) Trump proved in 2020 he’s a LOSER to Biden {to those that claim a ‘steal’ without any 3rd party EVIDENCE I just ask, “Is Trump s…o… dumb as to put himself in the position to have it ‘stolen again?(Fool me once shame on you. fool me twice shame on me) } 2) the vanishing ‘red wave of 2022 proves that election deniers, of which Trump is #1, LOSE.
I sure hope if things don’t work out and some variation of repeat of Jan 6th happens, that it remains in DC. Mr. Trumps crowd ( just referring to the confederate flag waving, swastika tattooed AR-15 carrying and really nationalist extremist) all over and hopefully it does not spill over into other areas. Doubt if he picks anyone demanding teamwork. Be glad when this episode of sheer uncertainty is over.
I keep wondering, WHO ARE these confederate flag waving, neo-nazis you keep “Seeing” as the maga crowd are? AS I HAVE YET TO SEE a single one.
Haven’t seen the large gatherings (Jan 6th footage) without that crowd. No disrespect.They are Americans too who have the choice to follow who they want. My assertion is I hope if things don’t work out , DC will be their choice to ” whatever”. True GOP trying to distance itself from this but nobody’s fooled, Mr Trump, American billionaire oligarch is their champion.
Haley would be good, accompanied by a solid team. GOP would be on point and maybe quiet landscape, reduce confusion and do some real work.
Whoever ‘s selected may have to reveal role of Veep during a similar situation Pence was in January 6th, 2021.. Holmes demands loyalty above all. Preferably a public statement but a private one will probably do.