Senator Tim Scott, a Republican, expressed his desire to be Donald Trump's running mate after the former president won the New Hampshire primary last week. Trump was clearly flattered by Scott's declaration of love, but Scott will need to atone for his irreparable MAGA World sin of voting to certify Joe Biden's 2020 election victory in order to be included on the ticket.
Some of Trump's most ardent supporters are organizing against Scott as he narrows down his search for a deputy leader, people close to the president tell TIME.
They list the senator from South Carolina as one of the dozens of Republican senators who certified the 2020 election on January 6, 2021. The day before the vote, Scott declared,
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"There is no constitutionally viable means for Congress to overturn an election." Additionally, Scott has defended former Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to comply with Trump's efforts to obstruct the transfer of power, saying in August of last year that Pence "absolutely" did the right thing on January 6.
While choosing a running mate is typically based on who can best assist the nominee in winning—and act as president if necessary—the irresistible pull of Trump's persona has transformed the Veepstakes into a referendum on who is the most steadfastly loyal to the outgoing President. This internal GOP dispute is creating an unusual dynamic as Trump turns his attention toward the general election.
A person close to Trump claims, "Trump wants loyalty. He wants someone who was with him in the tough moments when it mattered. Mike Pence is the person who embodies what Donald Trump does not want."
Scott declined to comment, but a close source claims he has a "strong working relationship" with Trump. The two worked together to pass tax cuts and boost funding for historically Black colleges during the Trump administration.
More recently, they have been out campaigning together. Scott endorsed Trump just days before New Hampshire voters cast their ballots, which was a significant rejection of Trump's last GOP primary opponent, Nikki Haley. In 2012, when Haley was the governor of South Carolina, she appointed Scott to the Senate seat following Jim DeMint's retirement to head a prominent conservative think tank.
Along with Scott, the only other candidate on Trump's short list is New York Rep. Elise Stefanik; other candidates include Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem; and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. On January 6, Stefanik was one of 147 Republicans who voted against certifying Biden's electoral votes from at least one state.
Pundits have also suggested that Trump choose Haley, the former U.S. Ambassador to the UN during his administration.
The idea behind Haley is that Trump would be able to connect with moderate and independent voters. “If it were me advising him, I would say to look for someone who can inspire some degree of confidence and calm leadership,” says veteran GOP consultant Jon Seaton, who worked on John McCain's 2008 campaign.
A Trump-Haley ticket would also alienate supporters of America First, who view her as an establishment figure too eager to take the United States on military adventures abroad.
The former president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., recently declared he would go "to great lengths" to stop her from joining the Trump campaign. However, Haley has frustrated Trump by continuing her campaign after losing the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.
The importance of Trump's running mate's support base expansion outside the MAGA base has been hotly debated inside Trump's inner circle. "He needs a wonderful complement," another person close to the president adds. "I personally think it should not be someone who does not require the attention."
That was Trump's plan in 2016 when he selected Pence, a social and fiscal conservative who soothed traditional Republicans and Evangelical Christians who were uncomfortable with Trump's brand of populism. Pence was a dutiful loyalist for the majority of Trump's presidency, but on January 6, Trump exerted pressure on Pence to reject the Electoral College's certification, and the two have been at odds ever since.
Since then, the extent to which members may advance in the Trump-era GOP has been defined by their subservience to the former President. In October of last year, Trump World destroyed Republican Representative Tom Emmer's hopes of becoming House Majority Leader because he had voted to certify the 2020 election.
Trump's "moral authority is compromised," Scott told Vice News in 2017. "There is no question about that." Scott's vote on January 6 is not his only transgression; some in his inner circle have revived his remarks in response to Trump saying there were "very fine people on both sides" of clashes at a renowned white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
At a Fox News Town Hall in Des Moines ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Trump told moderators that he already had a running mate in mind. "I can not tell you that," he said. "But I know who it is going to be." When he was returning to New York on his private plane, Trump Force One, he was reportedly going through his phone and laughing with top aides over the speculation he unleashed. Trump has seemingly enjoyed playing media scheming.
The prank might be a prelude to Trump's tactics in the upcoming months, as he is expected to keep teasing the media and making vice presidential candidates appear in public as he gets closer to formally securing the nomination.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Scott were invited to speak during Trump's victory speech in New Hampshire. After Trump implied that Scott would have to "really hate Nikki Haley" in order to support him over his own former governor, Scott moved back toward the podium, punctured Trump's eyes, and paused for dramatic effect before saying, "I just love you."