Apprentice’ veepstakes... What a fucking disgrace...

Trump’s ‘Apprentice’ veepstakes: TV hits, fundraising and attacking Biden

The rush of activity shows how the behind-the-scenes maneuvering is escalating.

By ALEX ISENSTADT

When J.D. Vance went on CNN during the prime time hour last week, he may as well have had an audience of one.

Asked if he had concerns about serving as Donald Trump’s vice president given the hostile relationship the former president had with Mike Pence, Vance strenuously defended Trump. And he downplayed the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, when Pence was forced to evacuate the building as rioters called for his hanging.

“Do we blame Donald Trump for every bad thing that’s ever been said by a participant in American democracy?” said Vance. “I think that’s an absurd standard.”

Vance and almost a dozen other vice presidential contenders have flooded cable and network news recently, with an eye toward serving as Trump’s running mate. Perhaps more importantly, Trump and top aides have been closely monitoring what they’ve been doing. As the former president decides whom to pick, he is specifically watching to see what they’re doing to help his campaign, according to a person close to Trump who was granted anonymity to describe internal deliberations. The former president is looking at how they perform in news interviews — both in terms of defending him and taking on President Joe Biden — and what steps they are taking to raise money for the campaign and widen Trump’s donor network.

Those familiar with the deliberations say Trump is also examining the various candidates for potential positions in his administration, should he win. On the occasions that prospective vice presidential candidates appear at his rallies, Trump is looking at how they perform as surrogates and how the crowds react to their speeches.

“A number of the top VP prospects are working especially hard and both the president and his team, I am sure, are watching closely,” said Steve Witkoff, a close friend of Trump and Florida real-estate executive. “It makes a big difference when they are helping to raise money and also going into the lion’s den to do the tough work, including voter reach out and interviews on TV.”

The jockeying to be Trump’s No. 2 is ramping up. This past Sunday, a handful of vice presidential contenders, including Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, fanned out on television programs. Each received strong reviews from the former president’s team, the person said.

And next week, Vance will be hosting a high-dollar fundraiser for Trump in Cincinnati. Vance, a former venture capitalist, is also putting together a Silicon Valley fundraiser for the ex-president.

Trump, who rose to national fame for hosting and co-producing the hit NBC show “The Apprentice,” has long placed a premium on how people perform on TV. And he and his team are closely monitoring who is defending him in tough interviews on less friendly platforms. That includes Vance’s foray onto CNN, a network that Trump and his allies have come to loathe.

The rush of activity offers a peek into the internal calculations the current class of vice presidential hopefuls has made as they try to impress Trump and his circle of advisers. And it underscores the degree to which Pence’s own difficult experiences with Trump — specifically at the tail end of their administration — has been downplayed by top Republicans.

Trump has said he likely won’t formally pick a running mate until closer to the Republican National Convention, which starts July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But Trump’s team has begun vetting would-be candidates, as is typical in vice presidential searches. The list of those under consideration is long, according to two people familiar with the process who were granted anonymity to speak freely. Trump, they say, has been adding names to the roster.

On Sunday, Scott drew private praise from Trump’s inner circle after an appearance on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press” in which, like Vance, he did not cede any ground in his defense of Trump. After Scott was pressed repeatedly to explain why Trump would refuse to commit to accepting the 2024 election results — and whether he would as well — Scott responded: “This is why so many Americans believe NBC is an extension of the Democrat Party. At the end of the day, I’ve said what I’ve said and I know the American people, their voices will be heard and I believe President Trump will be our next president, it’s that simple.”

Burgum, too, used a Sunday show appearance to defend the former president. During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper pressed the governor to respond to Trump’s assertion that Democrats use “welfare” as a way to draw votes. Burgum essentially defended the remark, saying that Biden engaged in “vote-buying” by proposing student debt-relief.

Other recent fixtures of the TV circuit who are seen as in contention for the No. 2 job include former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, a longtime Trump loyalist, and Florida Rep. Byron Donalds. During a February interview on “Meet the Press,” Donalds, who is Black, defended Trump over criticism he was facing for saying Black voters liked him because he had been criminally indicted.

Some potential picks are looking to help with fundraising — a priority for Trump, who faces a cash gap against Biden. Burgum, a multimillionaire former technology executive, has been holding fundraising meetings and making calls to donors. Vivek Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur-turned 2024 GOP presidential candidate-turned Trump endorser, has introduced Trump to wealthy donors in Silicon Valley and Texas. Ramaswamy has also been active on the TV and podcast circuit.

Others are trying to distinguish themselves by going after Biden. Over the weekend, Cotton and Rubio used appearances on Sunday morning shows to criticize the president on his handling of nationwide campus protests tied to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Both were applauded internally by Trump’s team for their media appearances.

Stefanik, meanwhile, has become an outspoken critic of Trump’s criminal indictments. The representative has filed several ethics complaints targeting prosecutors overseeing the cases.

The Trump team also has its eye on two other up-and-coming Republicans: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, his former press secretary, and Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, who delivered the Republican response to Biden’s State of the Union address.

Trump hasn’t tipped his hand on whom he favors for the post. But at a Republican National Committee-hosted donor retreat in Palm Beach this past weekend, he invited a number of the contenders to appear onstage with him and offered praise for many of them.

The conference represented the latest in a series of de-facto tryouts for the contenders to prove their political chops. The person familiar with the former president’s thinking said that, to Trump aides, Donalds “stood out” among those who spoke at the retreat.

“[The vice presidential contenders] are all working hard by helping to raise money, pushing back on false media narratives, and connecting with voters across the country,” said John Paulson, an investor and a close friend of Trump’s. “The president and his team are thankful for all of their hard work.”