The field of Trump’s potential vice presidential picks appears to be narrowing, while his legal perils add to the urgency and unusual significance of his choice.
“It'll be the most important VP selection we’ve had in recent history,” Florida political scientist Susan MacManus told The Epoch Times.
Typically, the presidential running mate exerts little effect on voters’ choice for “the top of the ticket,” MacManus said. But this year’s unparalleled circumstances are creating top-of-mind concerns for the former president, for his potential running mate, and for American voters.
Trump recently stated that he is likely to designate his running mate at the Republican National Convention. But he is confronting potential imprisonment beforehand, which might induce him to make the announcement sooner, MacManus said.
Sentencing on his 34-count conviction is set for July 11 in New York, just four days before Republicans begin their three-day convention in Milwaukee, culminating in officially declaring him their 2024 presidential nominee.
Jed Rubenfeld, a Yale University law professor, said many people seem to think that New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan will likely grant probation to the former president. But the professor said confinement remains a real possibility.
“Could Trump actually be put in jail? You bet he could,” Rubenfeld said in a video posted on social media.
Trump, who’s been critical of the judge, faces four years in prison for each charge—a total of 136 years. There is no way the judge would impose that maximum, Rubenfeld said. The judge also could consider placing the former president under house arrest or on probation.
MacManus said that if the former president is unable to attend the convention, a vice presidential candidate will still need to be selected, “and that person is going to be under extreme scrutiny.”
But that’s not the only thing that makes this cycle’s VP choice a little more top-of-mind for voters than normal: another factor is the advanced age of both candidates in the running.
President Joe Biden is, at 81 years old, the oldest person to ever occupy the Oval Office. Trump turned 78 this month, and would slightly edge Biden out as the oldest president ever if he wins in November.
Some voters worry that the men’s ages could increase the odds that the vice president may need to step in and fulfill the presidential role.
For Democrats, that looks likely to be Vice President Kamala Harris, who, despite a record-low approval rating, seems likely to be renominated at Democrats’ convention later this year.
The ages of Trump’s potential running mates, meanwhile, run the gamut from their late 30s to their late 60s, with several in their 50s.
Trump has been intentionally vague about his pick. Last time, he waited to announce his VP decision until three days before the convention.
The leading contenders for the No. 2 job are Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Doug Burgum of North Dakota, and Dr. Ben Carson.
But, one insider told The Epoch Times, Trump might also pick “someone no one’s ever thought of,” adding, “That would be so Trump.”
—Janice Hisle and Joseph Lord
![Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) on May 16, 2024 outside Manhattan Criminal Court expressing support for Donald Trump (Juliette Fairley)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F05%2F16%2Fid5651750-IMG_9472-1200x900.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
GOOD’S PRIMARY BATTLE
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), who currently heads up the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, is fighting for his political survival in a tough primary battle against Virginia state Sen. John McGuire, a candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Good drew Trump’s ire by giving Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis his backing for the Republican nomination. Later, Good switched his support to Trump.
Good switching his support to Trump didn’t mollify the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, who said the switch came “too late.”
“BOB GOOD IS BAD FOR VIRGINIA AND BAD FOR THE USA,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“He turned his back on our incredible movement, and was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and ‘loving’ Endorsement,” Trump added.
Trump said that McGuire “is strong on crime, will protect our great Military/Vets, and will always defend our under siege Second Amendment. John McGuire has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
When asked by The Epoch Times if he regretted endorsing DeSantis, Good sidestepped the question.
“The time for talking about previous endorsements is over,” he said after a June 7 rally. He said it’s time to unite behind Trump.
Meanwhile, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), another House Republican that endorsed DeSantis, has been working against Trump to secure Good’s re-nomination.
Asked about Trump’s strong opposition to Good, Roy told reporters, “Look, we’re gonna keep working hard. We’re trying to elect the most conservative members we can and then rally around Republicans in November.
“I’m not scared of primaries,” Roy added.
Notably, Trump also called for Roy to be primaried, but this call came after the filing deadline for Roy’s district.
Several other Trump allies in the Freedom Caucus, including figures like Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), have also given Good their support—a rare moment of disagreement between the pro-Trump lower chamber and the man himself.
Good’s 5th congressional district encompasses much of the central part of the state, beginning in the outskirts of Richmond’s suburbs and ending a little ways east of Roanoke.
It’s by no means Trump country when compared to the western half of the state. Nevertheless, Trump carried the district by around 8.5 points in 2020, the same year that Good received just a 5.1 percent victory.
Polls fail to paint a clear picture of the race, deviating between double-digit leads for one candidate and then the other.
For now, the race looks like a toss-up.
—Joseph Lord and Jackson Richman
BOOKMARKS
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) is sounding the national security alarm on current security risks, The Epoch Times’ Jack Phillips reported. The U.S. is currently “at the highest level of a possible terrorist threat,” Turner said, citing Biden’s border policies.
Alaskans might be voting whether to scrap or keep their ranked-choice voting system in November, The Epoch Times’ Kos Temenes reported. The controversial voting program’s fate hangs in doubt after a judge approved a preliminary step in a trial that will determine whether a repeal of ranked-choice will be allowed on the ballot later this year.
CNN has finalized its list of rules for the first presidential debate on June 27, The Epoch Times’ Tom Ozimek reported. CNN said after posting the updated rules that it’s “not impossible” for third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to qualify to participate in the debate.
Biden raked in $30 million this weekend at a fundraiser headlined by Hollywood superstars, The Epoch Times’ Joseph Lord reported. President Barack Obama and actors George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Barbara Streisand were the night’s biggest participants.