Potential VPs tell Trump: No way
Top Republicans publicly rebuke idea of joining his ticket
It’s a time-honored tradition for politicians to deny any interest in the vice presidency. But this year, with the possibility of Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee, they really mean it.
“Never,” said Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who is still running against Trump. “No chance.”
“Hahahahahahahahaha,” wrote Sally Bradshaw, a senior adviser to Jeb Bush, when asked if he would consider it.
“Scott Walker has a visceral negative reaction to Trump’s character,” said Ed Goeas, a longtime adviser to the Wisconsin governor.
Or, as Sen. Lindsey Graham put it, “That’s like buying a ticket on the Titanic.”
A remarkable range of leading Republicans, including Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, have been emphatic, publicly or with their advisers and allies, that they do not
want to be considered as Trump’s running mate. The recoiling amounts to a rare rebuke for a front-runner: Politicians usually signal that they are not interested politely through back channels, or submit to the selection process, if only to burnish their national profiles.
But Trump has a singular track record of picking fights with obvious potential running mates like Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has indicated a lack of interest in the vice presidency generally and has yet to reconcile with Trump publicly. Haley and another potential pick, Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico, have sharply criticized Trump at recent party gatherings and do not want to be associated with his sometimes-angry tone, said advisers and close associates who have spoken with these Republicans.
Several Republican consultants said their clients were concerned that Trump’s unusually high unfavorable ratings with all voters and his unpopularity among women and Hispanics could doom him as a general election candidate and damage their own future political prospects if they were on his ticket.
Still, elected officials do have a way of coming around to the vice presidency, and Trump said in an interview Saturday that he was in the early stages of mending fences and building deeper relationships with leading Republicans. And in a sign of growing acceptance that Trump is their likely nominee, several Republicans made it clear that they would join him on the ticket because they think he can win, or because they regard the call to serve as their duty.
Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, as well as Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, said in interviews that they would consider joining the ticket if Trump offered. Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Mary Fallin of Oklahoma have told allies they were open to being his running mate. “If a potential president says, ‘I need you,’ it would be very hard for a patriotic citizen to say no,” Gingrich said.
Trump is just starting to mull vice presidential prospects and has no favorite in mind, he said. Trump said he wanted someone with “a strong political background, who was well respected on the Hill, who can help me with legislation, and who could be a great president.”
He declined to discuss potential picks in any detail, but he briefly praised three governors as possible contenders — Kasich, Christie and Rick Scott of Florida — and said he would also consider candidates who were women, black or Hispanic.
Asked if he was surprised about the array of Republicans who are uncomfortable being his running mate, Trump said: “I don’t care. Whether people support or endorse me or not, it makes zero influence on the voters. Historically, people don’t vote based on who is vice president. I want someone who can help me govern.”
A cross section of leading Republicans agree that his most sensible choice would be an experienced female governor or senator, given that he would most likely face Hillary Clinton in November.
As a political novice, Trump will be widely judged on whom he chooses — and how and why he chooses the person — because voters and other GOP leaders will look to his pick to evaluate his priorities for the kind of advisers he would want as president.
“This is a big deal because it’s the first major decision he’ll be making as the nominee, and it’s important that the American public see his decision-making process,” said Scott W. Reed, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’ s senior strategist.