Today, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced (by Twitter, what else?) the winner of “The Vice-President Apprentice” and it’s Indiana Governor Mike Pence. The billionaire real estate mogul turned politician was set to unveil the choice at a press conference in New York today but, out of respect for the tragedy in France last night, postponed the unveiling until Saturday.
Trump had for a long time said that he wanted to reveal his VP selection during the GOP convention, which starts next Monday, but with Pence, had to spill the goods. Today was the deadline for Pence to decide whether to run for re-election in the Hoosier State or to join the Trump train.
From the very beginning, Donald Trump the candidate has been audacious, brash and controversial but, in his first major decision as a potential leader of the free world, he took a safe and conservative route. He selected somebody who was probably not his first choice personally but who he felt was the best man to shore up some of his weaknesses. Unlike the other two reported finalists, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Trump and Pence do not have a long-standing personal friendship. Theirs are a marriage of convenience. Trump, who has been unconventional throughout his improbable campaign, made a sober, conservative choice.
What does the Pence pick tell us about the potential governing style of a President Trump? To me, it says two significant things, one good, the other not as good. The first is that Trump, despite not lacking in ego or belief in self, is willing to listen to others and take their advice. From the reports I’ve seen, The Donald’s preferred choice was Christie or perhaps Gingrich. It was his campaign manager Paul Manafort and his adult children (Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner) who were pushing for Pence.
The second thing it tells me is that Trump settled on someone more likely to be a “yes man” than Gingrich, reportedly the runner-up in the VP Apprentice sweepstakes. Pence, a much more disciplined messenger than Gingrich, is more likely to stay on message and be a loyal surrogate. As a life-long Republican who is wrestling with the impossible choice (for me) of choosing between Trump and Hillary Clinton, I was looking for a running mate with the gravitas to go toe to toe with Trump. Maybe Pence can do that; maybe he’ll earn The Donald’s trust and respect. The truth is though that I think Trump may have feared that Newt would overshadow him. Because he’s so well known and has Speaker of the House on his resume, a Trump-Gingrich ticket would have looked even to the uninformed observer like it was in the wrong order. I mention “uninformed observer” because any VP that Trump could have chosen (save Sarah Palin) would have been more qualified. Since Pence is largely unknown to the general population, a second-fiddle position to Trump is less jarring.
For myself, this is precisely why I wanted Newt on the ticket. I wanted somebody that was superior to Trump in a way that would be obvious to everyone. I also wanted somebody with the intellectual heft and respect (from Trump) to talk him off a cliff when needed. It remains to be seen whether Pence will gain the trust he will need to bring calm and reasoned advice that Trump will listen to with respect to the issues that presidents face. That’s what I wanted.
Although Pence, with a talk-show background in his past, is a facile communicator, nobody is more brilliant politically than Gingrich. As Charles Krauthammer pointed out last night, nobody would have been better than Newt at going on a talk show and eloquently explaining whatever craziness the nominee spews forth.
Anyway, Newt didn’t get the gig. What assets does Mike Pence bring to the table on a Trump ticket? I see four:
- He is a devout Christian, a social conservative who will be mostly satisfactory to the right wing of the party that is distrustful of Trump’s liberal past. Gingrich, although certainly a conservative, has been married three times (as has Trump) and thus is not the poster child of true conservative values as Pence is. In 2010, two years before the 2012 election, Pence was the number one presidential choice in a straw poll at the Values Voters Summit.
- He clearly is qualified for the top job if needed. He has governing experience in Indiana and he served 12 years in Congress. If Trump were to become disabled, deceased, impeached or just plain bored, Pence is indisputably qualified to serve in the Oval Office.
- He is very popular and well-liked among the Republicans serving in Congress and can therefore be an indispensable liaison between President Trump and the House and Senate. It’s possible that the mere presence of Pence on the ticket will help fend off a potential challenge to Trump’s nomination on the floor of the GOP convention next Monday.
- He has fund-raising connections to traditional GOP donors that Trump lacks. If anyone can get the infamous Koch brothers off the sidelines, Pence would be near the top of the list.
OK, now what are the downsides? Again I see four negatives:
- He’s kind of boring. There is no sizzle or pizzazz. I can’t see any type of “bump” from this selection other than perhaps mollifying some conservatives who would never vote for Clinton but have been calling themselves “undecided.”
- As indicated before, he’s more likely to be a “Yes Mr. Trump” man than Gingrich would have been.
- Although mostly popular with social conservatives, he has one major blemish when, after signing a religious freedom law in Indiana a year ago, he blinked under pressure to add an amendment prohibiting discrimination against gay people. In my mind, it was a sensible cave that many other governors might have done but he actually did it. In the whole process, he annoyed both liberals and conservatives alike.
- Overall, he has a middling record as Governor of Indiana. One of the reasons he likely accepted the VP gig is that he was facing a very difficult re-election campaign, even in the red Hoosier state.
The thought of a President Trump is so fantastic for so many people (fantastic as in “like a fantasy” not as in “terrific”) that the number one thing he needs to do is paint a vision to the American people about what a Trump Administration would look like. To paint that picture, more than any other candidate ever, he needs to show the people who he would surround himself with. Therefore, at the convention next week and in the weeks to follow, Trump needs to make news by announcing people who will serve in his Cabinet.
As my good friend Greg Pyeatt has often mentioned, he needs to roll out names like Attorney General Chris Christie, Secretary of Homeland Security Rudy Giuliani, Surgeon General Ben Carson, etc. Equally important, he needs to find and introduce some women and minorities to fill some cabinet positions. These people don’t need to be the well-known currently but people who, when you Google them, will make you admire their accomplishments. They need to be people who, when asked to appear on talk shows, can clearly articulate the issues they’ll be tasked to handle.
Trump needs to introduce respected National Security advisers, with retired General Michael Flynn in a prominent role. He should find a role, not a cabinet position but some other role, for daughter Ivanka, who is impossible not to like and respect.
Even though he was passed over for the VP slot, Newt Gingrich needs to be a part of Trump’s inner circle, either as Chief of Staff or Special Adviser to the President. From reports I’ve heard, Gingrich is being considered for a position relating to national security. That would be fine but he’s a brilliant man who has innovative ideas on a wide variety of issues and, in my view, would better serve Trump in a role where he had his hands into everything a president has to deal with.
The more respected names Trump can name in advance the more he will win over the skeptics like myself who will never, ever, ever, ever, ever vote for Hillary Clinton but are still despondent over the thought of Trump in the White House.
The announcement of Vice-Presidential nominee Mike Pence is not sufficient for this particular voter to jump onto the Trump Train. It’s a decent start and I understand the politics of it. The one thing I like about it is that it demonstrated that he will listen to other voices rather than just go it alone. But I need to see more of that. I need to see a Trump safety net, for himself and the nation.
Thanks for reading.
Chris Bodig