The behind-the-scenes whisper campaign about who Donald Trump will pick as a running mate has turned into an all-out public talent show. And free from the political concerns he faced in 2016, one of the most important factors for this year’s selection will be loyalty to Trump and his philosophy.
“Look, the Pence model is dead,” said Matt Schlapp, the embattled Conservative Political Action Conference chairman and a Trump ally. “I don’t believe he’ll turn to the Pence model again. He’s gonna pick somebody who’s really a different type of person.”
Eight years ago, Trump was an outsider to the Republican Party, facing wariness from some conservatives and evangelicals, making Mike Pence a solid pick. Now, whether a would-be VP would do what Pence did in 2021 — certify the election result against Trump’s orders and declare him the election loser — has become a top question in public.