This possible choice of vice president of Trump “could sound the death knell for Biden”

Policy

By Fox News

Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of profiles of presidential candidate Donald Trump’s potential running mates on the Republican Party’s 2024 ticket.

The race to determine who will be Donald Trump’s running mate in November took a major step forward last week with the acceleration of the selection of several potential candidates, but political experts with deep knowledge of presidential campaigns say that there is a possible name on the former president’s shortlist. “fear” the most.

The Trump campaign recently entered the next phase of its vice presidential candidate search by requesting materials from several potential candidates, including the Florida senator. Marco Rubio, who has become a staunch ally of the former president since running against him in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries.

“Rubio is a familiar face who has become one of the strongest voices in the Senate for the America First agenda, is great on television and can effectively criticize Biden for his failed policies,” said a top GOP strategist at Fox News Digital.

“Trump is doing very well with Latino voters and adding Rubio would only strengthen that, which could spell doom for Biden,” they said, adding that “Rubio would be a strong, safe choice, with many advantages”.

Republican strategist Matt Wolking, who served as deputy communications director for Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign, described Rubio as “an effective, disciplined communicator who rarely makes mistakes.”

He noted that Rubio was the only person considered who speaks another language and that his ability to speak Spanish would help the Trump campaign reach Hispanic voters in many states where it could boost their competitiveness, including Nevada, New Mexico , Arizona, Virginia, New York and Florida.

“While demonstrating his ability to win a slightly higher percentage of white voters in 2022 than Trump did in Florida in 2020, he also appeals to the suburban and independent voters who will be key to Trump’s success, and is the only candidate on a real battlefield. State,” Walking said.

“Trump would balance his ticket by choosing Rubio as vice president, which cannot be said for some of the other options. It’s for these reasons that many Democrats fear Rubio’s pick the most,” he said, citing a May Vanity Fair article specifically noting some of those concerns.

Wolking added that Rubio’s experience as leader of the Senate Intelligence Committee would be “valuable” for Trump to “reign in rogue agencies.”

A source close to the Trump campaign echoed what the other two said about Rubio’s Latino heritage bolstering the campaign’s ability to connect with Hispanic voters, but also highlighted what they said to be some drawbacks in Rubio’s potential selection.

“I’m not sure he’s a 100% Trump guy. That’s the only thing I would say is that he hasn’t always been enthusiastic about Trump. I think this is the one area that I think might be a little troubling for the Trump faithful. That could be a problem,” the source said.

They noted Rubio’s past criticism of Trump, including when he called him “reckless and dangerous” while running against him in 2016, and when he said the former president was responsible for “part of what happened” during the January presidential election. 6 protests at the US Capitol.

“The other question is whether Rubio is the right person to carry Republican colors in 2028 and beyond,” the source said. “I think he’s a good man.” Do not mistake yourself. I think he was an excellent senator and very effective. I think he would be a more than adequate vice president, but that just gives me time to think about him as a potential candidate and whether he is a Trump loyalist.

Wolking, however, said none of the downsides to Rubio’s choice were “particularly significant” but noted that he tends “to be more hawkish than Trump on foreign policy.”

He also raised concerns about the Constitution’s 12th Amendment, which prohibits electors from voting for a president and vice president if they reside in the same state. Both Rubio and Trump reside in Florida.

“That would probably prove more of a speed bump than a real barrier to its listing,” Wolking said.

A source close to Rubio pointed to the senator’s positive performance in states like Virginia and Minnesota during his 2016 primary campaign, suggesting his selection could strengthen Trump in states now seen as potential targets for Republicans.

The source also highlighted Rubio’s legislative background, his debate performance in his two subsequent Senate re-elections since running for president, his ability to communicate, as well as his ability to “fire up a crowd,” as so many things that would make him a good addition to the Republican ticket.

A number of other big names have also been asked to join Trump on the Republican ticket, including House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and the governor of Arkansas. Sarah Sanders, Governor of Virginia. Glenn Youngkin, Governor of North Dakota. Doug Burgum, Governor of South Dakota. Kristi Noem, senator from Ohio. JD Vance and South Carolina Senator. Tim Scott.

Trump suggested he would likely wait until July’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to nominate his pick.