On Monday evening, the Republicans’ national convention gets underway. There, ex-president Donald Trump will be formally chosen as the party’s presidential candidate. The decision on Trump’s vice-presidential candidate can come as early as the opening day. – It can happen at any time, says USA expert and Civita advisor Eirik Løkke. But who he chooses as his number two is still an open question. – It would have been nice to announce it at the national meeting itself. It would have made it all more exciting, Trump told Fox News last week. – Loyalty means everything to him These days, three men in particular are singled out as most relevant: JD Vance, Doug Burgum and Marco Rubio. In this hall, the national meeting of the Republicans will start on Monday. Photo: Paul Sancya / AP/NTB Løkke believes that there are two things in particular that Trump looks for in a candidate: – Loyalty. Not to the party, the constitution or the country, but to Trump as a person. Loyalty means everything to him. In addition, it is important for Trump that no one overshadows him, he says. Over the weekend, Trump was subjected to a failed assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Løkke does not believe that the assassination will affect Trump’s election as vice president. – I think he has made up his mind. Maybe even before the assassination, he says. JD Vance Ohio senator JD Vance in particular was quick to support Trump and point the finger at Biden. – Today is not an isolated incident. The central premise of Biden’s election campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs, he wrote on X in the hours after the assassination. VANCE: Growing up in poor conditions in the American Midwest and serving in the military, JD Vance is a good candidate. Photo: Stefan Jeremiah / AP/NTB The 39-year-old has been a senator in Ohio since 2022. – Vance’s strength is his youth. He will certainly bring a lot of energy into the campaign, says Løkke. At the same time, the weakness is that Vance could be in danger of overshadowing Trump on certain occasions, Løkke believes. Vance became publicly known in 2016. Then he wrote the book Hillbilly Elegy. Vance was critical of Trump in 2016. He believed that Trump was not fit to be president, and has called him a liar. He has since turned around. In 2022, he was elected senator, largely thanks to the support of Trump. After that he has been on TV a lot. Mostly to brag about Trump. He is being described as the future of the Republican Party. Someone who can take over for Trump during the 2028 election. Someone who can inherit the now Trump-loyal voters. Marco Rubio 53-year-old Marco Rubio is a senator for Florida. He was Trump’s opponent during the primary election in 2016. Rubio is the son of two immigrants from Cuba. He is popular among the Hispanic minority in the United States. It is a group Trump needs in the election. – That is his most important strength. In addition, he is good on TV, says Løkke. SON OF IMMIGRANTS: Marco Rubio has a high star among Spanish-speaking Americans. Photo: BILL PUGLIANO / AFP/NTB In 2016, Rubio said a lot of bad things about Trump. But Rubio has also turned around. When Trump was president, Rubio worked closely with him and supported him. Trump says a lot of nice things about Rubio. – Rubio’s weakness is that he lives in Florida, says Løkke. The constitution places some obstacles in the way for Rubio, because voters in a state where both the presidential and vice-presidential candidates live there cannot vote. Rubio lives in Florida, as does Trump. So Trump risks losing the important swing state of Florida with Rubio on the team. – He or Trump must therefore move from Florida to another state, says Løkke. Doug Burgum Trump has repeatedly spoken warmly of the 67-year-old governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum. Among other things, he has said that big things will soon happen in Burgum’s life. – Burgum’s strength is that he is low-key and will not overshadow Trump, says Løkke. BURGUM: With a solid fortune of his own making, the governor of North Dakota has a high star with Trump. Photo: ANDREW HARNIK / AFP/NTB Several also point out that Trump and Burgum get along well. – The weakness is that Burgum is not as good on TV as Vance. Nor does he reach out as much to the MAGA movement, says Løkke. Friends of the governor tell Politico that he has changed his political message quite a bit in a short time. In North Dakota, he has been a unifying figure. Now he comes with polarizing and harsh messages from the program for Donald Trump. He boasts Trump to the skies, and has started wearing a red tie. Burgum must be well liked by Trump because he has created his own fortune. He grew up in relatively modest circumstances. He got a solid education, good jobs and founded a computer company that was acquired by Microsoft. Published 15.07.2024, at 17.31
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