Opinion

There’s Some Weird Sh*t Going On With Trump’s VP List

THE NEW ABNORMAL

The Trump campaign is reportedly getting serious about vice presidential picks—but something is amiss.

opinion
Donald Trump, Doug Burgum and Ben Carson
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty

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Donald Trump and his campaign have reportedly begun to request paperwork from a number of vice presidential hopefuls, a report from the Associated Press highlighted this week.

And while numerous names have been thrown about for months as speculation surrounding who Trump will pack for his running mate rises, many of the most recent names on the list—and those left off—are raising eyebrows.

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Among those who have received nods are North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Trump’s former rival, now ally, Ben Carson were also said to be on the list.

But there’s something off with this list, according to The New Abnormal co-host, Andy Levy.

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“The two weirdest things about this list to me are Ben Carson,” Levy explains, “because who in the world is clamoring for Ben Carson to do anything? I don’t think he’ll be the pick, but just the fact that they’re even vetting him is weird to me.”

The other? “I don’t understand where Doug Burgum came from. Did anyone outside of North Dakota know who this guy was before he launched his sub-1 percent-polling presidential campaign? I don’t think so. Burgumania never happened. But I see him out there all the time now as like a Trump surrogate. And now he’s on this list, like, how the hell did this happen?”

Plus! Teresa Younger, the president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, joins the program to talk about her organization’s efforts to empower women to achieve equality, equity, and opportunity.

Then, filmmaker and professor at Loyola University, Stephen Ujlaki, tells us about his new documentary, Bad Faith, and how Christian nationalism is the biggest threat to our democracy.

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