Posted on 08/22/2015 2:56:03 PM PDT by conservativejoy
The rumor mill is churning full force on who Donald Trump will choose for his VP. I have now heard leaks from both the Trump camp and from Cruz’s that Ted Cruz is being considered as a VP choice for The Donald. They met at Trump’s office in New York City last month and have met approximately four times outside of that meeting. The two are friends and have very nice things to say about each other. They agree on most issues, especially immigration.
Ben Carson is also on the short list and Trump’s ex-aide, Roger Stone, is vetting Carson independently. This should be interesting. Can you imagine the meltdowns from both sides of the political aisle? It would be a brilliant political move. If Trump chooses Cruz, you would have a melding of the two most popular conservative campaigns out there and they would be virtually unstoppable as a team. The crowds would be staggering and the landslide win would be historic. As a bennie, it would just scare the living crap out of Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. Now that would be must-see TV.
From the Daily Mail:
Leading Republican candidate for the White House Donald Trump hasn’t officially begun scouting running mates – the first primary is still six months away.
Two of his 2016 competitors come to mind for the position, however: Ben Carson and Ted Cruz.
Trump’s campaign said he has ‘cordial’ relationships with both men based on ‘mutual respect.’
An ex-aide to Trump, Roger Stone, was also seen meeting with Carson’s campaign chief Jake Menges yesterday in New York. Stone says he did not set up the meeting at the behest of Trump, however.
Stone told DailyMail.com that he believes in ‘citizen action’ and met with Menges of his own volition because he thinks Carson would be a good fit on a Trump ticket.
He stressed that the meet-up was ‘not authorized’ by Trump and he no longer works for the real estate mogul.
‘I love him. I love him,’ he said, ‘but I’m not working for him.’
Trump and Stone parted ways two weeks ago over disagreements about the direction of the campaign. Stone says he resigned. Trump says he was fired. Whatever the case, the end result is that Stone is now a free agent.
‘I answer only to myself,’ he said today.
Even though he is no longer affiliated with Trump’s campaign for president, he still wants to see him in the Oval Office.
He’s stepped in as an unofficial surrogate for Trump, making multiple media appearances this week to defend his controversial immigration plan that would end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.
‘I will go anywhere, do anything I can to promote the election of Donald Trump,’ he told DailyMail.com.
Trump, he says, ‘is the only man with the fortitude and the vision and the passion to take on a corrupted political system.’
‘The system’s broken, both parties are in on it. Our government’s controlled by the special interests,’ the ex-lobbyist and alum of Richard Nixon’s administration said. ‘I’ve seen the system up close, it’s broken. It’s corrupted.’
Stone, who noted that he’s had a hand in eight presidential elections, has taken it upon himself to begin vetting a No. 2 for Trump.
‘I don’t think that Donald has thought about a running mate yet, and frankly it would be presumptuous for him to do so,’ Stone said. ‘He’s focused on winning the nomination, and then winning the election.’
Still, he added, ‘it’s never too early to start thinking about the big picture.’
Trump has openly praised Cruz and Carson, telling NH1 after he was asked about possible running mates, ‘I like Ted Cruz. I like Dr. Carson. They’ve been very supportive of me.’
He’s also said he’d like to have Oprah at his side.
‘I think Oprah would be great. I’d love to have Oprah,’ Trump said in a June appearance on ABC News. ‘I think we’d win easily, actually.’
Trump said last week that he’d ‘consider’ sticking a woman on the ticket, as well.
‘I am all for the concept. It would have to be the right person, and I’m not going to go into who that would be right now,’ he said told the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘But I have great respect for women. I have great respect for women who are executives in my company. I have great respect for women’s judgment.’
A Washington outsider like Trump, Carly Fiorina has been suggested as someone who fits that bill.
The Carson campaign did not return DailyMail.com’s request for comment on the matter, but Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who hails from Baltimore, Maryland, and has never held political office before, either, has said he’d likewise consider adding Trump to his team should he become the nominee.
‘All things are possible. Absolutely,’ he said during an interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto earlier this summer after complimenting Trump as ‘a very smart’ and ‘fun guy.’
Cruz met with the billionaire businessman last month in New York City, and a senior adviser to Trump told DailyMail.com the two had planned to visit the United States’ border with Mexico together in July.
A scheduling conflict -Senate votes – prevented the Texas senator from hosting Trump, however.
A spokesman for Cruz says the lawmaker proposed the border trip during their meeting at Trump Tower in New York.
‘We were talking about immigration and then Ted said to Mr. Trump, “you should come to the Texas border. Be my guest and we’ll go together,” ‘ spokesman Rick Tyler told the Washington Post.
A sources close to Trump told the Daily Beast says that the Republican politicians talk on the occasionally and have gotten together four other times aside from the Trump Tower visit.
Cruz has had nothing but praise for Trump throughout the campaign and is backing his immigration plan. He said yesterday on the Michael Medved radio show that he too believed that 14th amendment’s guarantee of automatic citizenship should be limited to children who parents are legal U.S. residents.
‘I welcome Donald Trump’s immigration proposal. Virtually every element in the proposal he submitted is contained within legislation that I filed years ago in the Untied States Senate.’
Of Trump’s candidacy, Cruz said, ‘I’m glad he’s in the race and he manages to attract a lot of attention and actually to force the media to talk about issue that the media should have been talking about, in particular illegal immigration.’
Just the whisper of this playing out is causing the RINOs to wet themselves. My vote is still for Ted Cruz, but if Trump is the nominee, I would relish voting for him. And if he is smart, and I know he is, he will do what the Cruz Coalition has suggested and start putting together his cabinet as Ronald Reagan did. Cruz is also doing this. Donald Trump is so far ahead in the field, he can literally choose whomever he wants for his VP. Carson is great, but has little political experience. Cruz is wildly popular among conservatives and there is an argument to be made that the two campaigns are already working together. It’s politically savvy to team up – whichever comes out on top will get the other’s supporters and maybe the dynamic duo will just own the White House together.
We have to win Texas.
I’m not even sure where Carson is from...
Those were 2 months ago - I hope he has recanted since then!
I don’t want Trump as President
However, if a fully empowered Cruz is his running mate, I would probably vote for him.
If Trump selects Cruz as VP then one would assume the primaries are over and Trump is the nominee. If so they why would it scare the crap out of Bush?
Doubt if he was serious.
?? Not my comment you were replying to.
Picking a VP to carry their state is a bit overrated, and hasn’t really helped GOP candidates at all. Going back to 1960, Lodge didn’t win MA for Nixon, nor Bill Miller in NY for Goldwater in ‘64, sitting Gov. Agnew failed to carry MD in ‘68 for Nixon. Reagan would’ve carried TX in 1980 with or without GHW Bush. Ditto GHW Bush in 1988 with Quayle’s IN. Kemp didn’t help Dole with NY in 1996 one iota.
Lastly, excluding Palin in 2008 (since AK going GOP was never in doubt, as with Cheney relocating back from TX to WY for 2000 & 2004), the last test was for Paul Ryan in 2012, and he also failed to help Willard capture WI. I think Walker would have a similar problem if he were chosen by Trump. Folks vote for Presidential candidates, not for VP (except for Palin in ‘08, of course). If Trump wins WI, it will be because of himself, not Gov. Walker.
Good post.
Dr. Carson’s home state is Michigan (born in Detroit). However, since he’s practiced at Johns Hopkins, he may still be a resident of Maryland. If the GOP candidate for President won either (or both) of those states, neither of which have gone GOP since 1988, they win the election (since carrying MD would signify a landslide).
That is what I thought, but it’s a common misconception that the veep balances the ticket, I think the mot successful was LBJ who absolutely delivered TX.
Stole is more the correct terminology, as credible outlets expected TX to remain in the GOP column for 1960. LBJ only lost one election (to Pappy O’Daniel in a 1941 Senate special) and that was because he didn’t cheat (although I find that hard to believe). JFK didn’t need TX to win, curiously. Had he held all his other state wins running with his preferred choice of Sen. Stuart Symington of MO, he still would’ve won (although there was enough chicanery in IL that still calls into question the outcome — he could not win the election without IL).
CARSON!
Oprah! Now that is a joke.
I’d be ok with that, AFTER Ted has served 8 years as President.
Several of us have been in favor of Cruz for VP all along, I think that would be the logical choice.
Yes it’s too early to even speculate, but nothing about this race is normal...
I think I heard Trump in an interview a while back saying the comment about Oprah was just joking around.
Trump threw away the rule book the day he announced, and after several meetings with Cruz it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he did pick Cruz for VP, they’ve liked each other for a good while and have been quite supportive of each other since both announced, and I wouldn’t be surprised either if Trump announced a VP early. Nothing else is happening as it does in a normal election...
As for other positions, Carson for Surgeon General for sure, perfect for him. Either Gowdy or Sheriff David Clarke for Attorney General. Not sure about Sec of State...
But let’s not forget about Sessions, he helped Trump on his immigration plan and was a guest at the Alabama speech...something going on there too. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he got the VP position but Cruz would be perfect...Sessions would be good somewhere else, and he’s been pretty vocal about opposing Obama...and the establishment if I remember correctly...
I would have agreed with you....UNTIL I read here that he’s for mandated vaccinations.
As one who had very serious results when 2 of her kids was “vaccinated” , NO WAY Hosea!
Perfect! Just the two I’d want him to consider.
Exactly.
But I think Carson could be good
Don’t think its been done before check and see! Is it just practice or is there an actual rule that a president doesn’t serve in any other political position. If I were to chose between the two positions for him with his knowledge of the constitution I would choose SC.
He is young that influence would last for decades
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