Note: this was written before Trump’s conviction. Rubio may now be less interested. We shall see. My guess is that he will double-down on his support .
The NYT reports that Florida Senator Marco Rubio is angling for the VP slot (Marco Rubio Wants to Be Trump’s Vice President. He Doesn’t Want to Audition). It does not produce specific evidence in the piece as to these aspirations, but the report clearly indicates that there is interest. On the one hand, I get it that Rubio must think (as did Mike Pence) that being Trump’s veep would put him on the inside track to the GOP nomination down the line. This, of course, worked out quite well for Mike Pence, as we all know.
On the other hand, it is more than noteworthy that Rubio appears willing to obsequiously defer to the man who relentlessly bullied and insulted him during the 2016 GOP primary.
Along those lines:
Mr. Trump has told advisers that Mr. Rubio would have to move out of the state to avoid a potential hurdle: The Constitution potentiallybars two residents from the same state from sharing a presidential ticket.
Mr. Rubio has lived near Miami for most of his life and is the father of three college students and a fourth in high school. Mr. Trump moved his residency to Florida in 2019, and has homes in New York and New Jersey. But he has told people that he would not change his address because voters in the state would be too upset to lose him as a resident, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
Mr. Rubio has told people that changing his residency would not be a problem, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
A spokesman for Mr. Rubio declined to comment. A Trump campaign spokesman said that only the former president knows whom he will pick for a running mate.
Well, I guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do to get that job you really want! Still, seems like another humiliation to me. Plus, it raises the question as to what happens if a sitting US Senator officially changes residence while in office (we know that you can apparently live outside your state as long you don’t really acknowledge it).
At a minimum, I wonder how his constituents will feel about his willingness to relinquish the state he ostensibly represents in the Senate.
Rubio’s willingness to stoke the election doubt theme is a troubling sign of his desire to kowtow to Trump.
Mr. Rubio voted to certify the 2020 elections despite Mr. Trump’s pressure to overturn the results and, at the time, described democracy as “held together by people’s confidence in the election and their willingness to abide by its results.”
Last week, he raised doubts about whether the 2024 contest would be fair and blamed Democrats for undermining the credibility of elections.
As is this:
Last month, Mr. Rubio joined several other potential vice-presidential contenders in voting against a $95 billion military aid package for Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine that Mr. Trump also opposed. Despite a record of strongly supporting military allies, Mr. Rubio argued that the money came at the expense of border enforcement and called it “moral extortion.”
I can understand (in the abstract) wanting to be POTUS and therefore seeing VPOTUS as a stepping stone. I certifiably believe people can change their minds. But it is an indictment of character which raises the question of whether one ought be anywhere near to power if one is so willing to change on a dime solely based on the hopes that one would be picked. It is not a good indication of Rubio’s character in the least.
For what is it worth, I am unclear on the strategic value that Rubio would add to the ticket, aside from maybe (and I mean maybe) assuaging the angst of some Haley-type Republicans.
In many ways, something like this (via CNN) seems more likely: Trump has touted potential VP picks for months. He may end up picking someone off the public’s radar.
