So, the upcoming Presidential race in the US will be a rematch of 2020. Though President Biden shall stick to Kamala Harris as his running mate, his challenger Trump is yet to reveal the cards. While Trump has confirmed some as being on his list, the full roster is unknown or still in the making to be more precise. Trump is wiser after his disillusionment with the VP of his last outing – Mike Pence. The right unwillingness of the nobleman to act as per his boss’ diktats in the matter of endorsing the 2020 results, the Jan 6, 2021 violence at Capitol Hill and the chance escape of Pence from physical harm are all now part of the history. Pence went on to be one of the early challengers, albeit a poor run and opted out of the nomination race of 2024 quite early.
In hindsight, Trump must have counted the number of turncoats who revolted against him, their previous boss. Besides Pence, the roll call has primary challengers Nikki Hailey, Florida Governor DeSantis, first and second secretaries of defense and joint chief of staff. CNN once listed two dozen former allies and aides who turned against their ex-chief in Trump- and that enumeration was way back in 2023!
Thus it’s only logical that Trump this time shall keep a premium on loyalty and impeccable MAGA (Make America Great Again or those upholding ultra-right beliefs) credentials as sine qua non for prospective candidates.
The VP choice, per se, has been a minor factor for voters to decide either way, history shows. Hence mostly it used to be a shadow of the presidential nominee that had to follow him necessarily. In the recent past, the choice of running mate made no perceptible difference to the outcome of the election. Two marginally different situations sighted by the commentators are when Bill Clinton’s ticket got a boost with the entry of the running mate Al Gore whereas the Republican nominee of 2008 John McCain was left rueing partnering with Gov Sarah Palin of Alaska. So selecting a campaign companion need not pose a huge poser for Trump who has come so far against heavy odds by his sheer grit and cult status. His solid hold over the MAGA crowd and divisive agenda may carry his ticket to the culmination. There is no ‘two to tango’ situation for the portly former president. However, a level of interest in the VP pick this time is palpable and perhaps relevant from the actuarial angle considering the age of both contenders.
Trump with his penchant for hoopla is sure to make a VP choice in the media limelight, rather than a matter-of-fact selection process. The contenders for the slot must be well aware of this.
The names often mentioned in the media include Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio (parity with Trump in hawkishness) and Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina (racial balancing as he is Black). Trump’s list of half a dozen early this year also had De Santis and Vivek Ramaswamy. Since the former President is known to make off-the-cuff remarks, how serious he was about those early challengers is unknown. Though he challenged Trump initially, Vivek had always supported ‘Trumpism’ and endorsed him once he decided to drop out from the race.
Another noteworthy possibility is attempting gender uniformity with President Biden’s ticket. A female running partner for Trump may undermine the Kamala Harris charm of the Biden platform, especially for female voters. Trump’s credentials with females have been weak thanks to his ‘colorful’ past. Also, Republicans’ stand on reproductive rights will need some amount of smoothening that a lady VP brings to the table. Hence contemplating a candidate from the fairer sex as a partner for Trump’s ticket is only a fair proposition!
Kristi Noem, the Governor of South Dakota seems to know this better than anyone else. She – adequately MAGA and a Trump loyalist – is proactively working in that direction to make her ready for the national ‘close-up’. Also with “Miss America-like white femininity,” cascading hair, and extensive eyelashes, she has been there in the race as one of the front runners. But she was unsure if her (as she believed) subpar smile could be a deal breaker with hedonistic Trump. She had reasons to doubt as she had damaged her ‘dental frontline’, so to say, in a bike accident in the past. Hence her simper lacked the radiance and perhaps confidence too needed to face the national audience. One can’t find fault with her if she didn’t want to suffer from a feeling of biting off more than what she could chew if a nomination invite comes from Trump! The gentleman, after all, was the President who often identified his staff members/associates as coming from “central casting.” Kristie rightly wanted to assure Trump that she brings on the star power he aspires onstage with him – a perfect woman in the ‘Trump Universe’ with a bewitching smile!
Thus, the wannabe Governor traveled to Texas (more than 1000 miles from her State) recently to get her teeth fixed. With a VP ticket up for grabs around the corner, analysts consider her reinvented smile as a tactical triumph on the psychological and appearance fronts. While Kristi may be thinking that her glossy guffaw shall let her surmount her teething troubles to the nomination, her over-the-top video narrating in detail the experience and showering praise on the orthodontists didn’t go well with many consumer groups and political opponents.
Her video seemed so much like a promotional infomercial that Travelers United, a consumer advocacy group, is suing Kristi for misleading advertising, claiming she was effectively acting as a travel influencer. Vanity Fair wrote that the whole exercise was “blowing up in her face.” For a Trump camper, legal tussles are a blessing in disguise – the boss has shown his mettle to navigate through them with a ‘more the merrier’ disdain. Kristi can live up to the Trump persona of wading through a legal maze with elan! There have been questions if she used the state aircraft, whether she was paid by the dentistry for the video and also if dexterous dentists in her home state are as scarce as hen’s teeth!
To be fair, Kristi probably is not the only one leaving no stone unturned to be Trump’s election partner. Tim Scott also had ticked all the boxes, well almost! However, his bachelor status did not suit the MAGA brand. Also, many Americans are not enthusiastic about White House hopefuls without rings on their fingers. Incidentally, James Buchanan, the 15th president (1857–1861), is the only one to have remained a bachelor throughout his life.
Tim recently removed the lacuna when he got down on one knee with the customary ring in hand. The wedding bells with his girlfriend have to chime in the not-too-distant August 2024, well before the presidential election date. Trump noted Tim clearing the hurdle, congratulated him and remarked “We never thought this was going to happen, what’s going on?” Indeed Trump would have known what that was all about!
Kristie Noem may hope that her odontic upgradation shall triumph over an affianced Tim Scot at least by the skin of her teeth. Anyway, one has to wait and see on the nomination day if the sparkle of the former’s teeth or the glitter on the latter’s nuptial ring shall appeal to Trump! Or he may even think out of the box and pull out a dark (no offense meant) horse in the likes of Vivek Ramaswamy!
