NEWT GINGRICH: 2 share outsized egos and a propensity to speak off the cuff
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich couldn’t be more alike. And they couldn’ t be more different.
Each has been described as larger than life. And no one would accuse either one of not having a healthy ego
With Trump reportedly considering Gingrich, among others, as his running mate, the similarities between the two are considerable.
Neither would be considered a disciplined campaigner: Trump has given the Republican Party fits by refusing to stick to a script and speaking his mind — even when it involves denigrating Mexican immigrants, women or his fellow Republicans.
Gingrich is not much more organized: his 2012 presidential candidacy bid collapsed under a series of problems, including his failure to qualify for the primary ballot in Virginia, where he lives. And he has a tendency to “just say a lot of things that are going through that big brain of his,” Republican strategist John Feehery said. “He’s also not someone who sticks to a script and that can be a little problematic when running for president.”
Both also have complicated personal lives. Between the two of them, they’ve had six wives, three each. Democrats would likely “have a field day” with their domestic lives, Feehery said. But while multiple marriages were once considered unacceptable in politics, it’s not been much of a political impediment for either.
Trump has spent most of his life in business. Gingrich has spent most of his life in politics and history and considers himself a thinker, said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia.
“Where Trump often seems to be making up his answers, Gingrich gives it a great deal of thought,” Bullock said. He suggested Gingrich could play a key role for the campaign: After Trump excites the crowd, Gingrich could talk to the press “and answer the serious questions,” he said.