Next week at the GOP National Convention, Donald Trump will produce the vice-presidential pick he’s been teasing for weeks; the final three contenders appear to be Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who have all duly prostrated themselves before the party’s supreme leader.
They don’t include Trump’s former VP Mike Pence, whose would-be hanging by Jan. 6 rioters Trump supported. After 1,447 days (four years less two weeks) of serving as a mild-mannered toady who gave Trump some cover with the evangelical crowd and otherwise pretended not to notice his boss’s authoritarian impulses, the election heist finally proved too much for Pence, who was repaid for his years of service by having the president throw him to the howling mob.
Had Pence been a loyalist to the end and followed Trump’s orders, would things have turned out differently? Most legal experts agree that within the context of the vice president’s ceremonial sign-off of election results, there was no basis or ability to actually prevent certification. But then again, none of the events leading up to and including the Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump’s various attempts to override the election had much precedent.
The drama and Pence’s refusal to support the coup highlight the importance of Trump’s pick No. 2. Just as VP Kamala Harris will preside over the certification of the 2024 results, should Trump win, his VP will oversee the outcome from the 2028 election (where Trump will not be running for a third term unless he gets the 22nd Amendment repealed).
More important is the traditional role of the VP, being ready to take over should the president die (or resign or be forced out through impeachment or the 25th Amendment). For all the angst about Joe Biden’s fitness at age 81, Trump is no youngster at 78 and will eclipse Biden as the oldest president ever to be sworn in on Jan. 20 next. Trump will be more than six months older than Biden was. Just as Americans ask if Biden can do another four years, what kind of shape will Trump be in four years from now?
The veep can’t just be a ticket balancer or an afterthought. The person has to be ready to assume the top job immediately. Trump picked Pence because he looked like a vice president with his trim white hair and square jaw. The country got lucky that Pence also believed in the Constitution and had a backbone when it mattered on Jan. 6
Americans will know shortly who Trump decides on. In hindsight, Trump did a very good job in selecting Mike Pence eight years ago. If Pence had needed to take over in Trump’s absence, his actions on Jan. 6 show that he was up to the task of running the federal government.
Rubio, Vance and Burgum (or a wild card?) must be measured by their ability to sit at the desk in the Oval Office and carry out the duties of president.
In 1841, when President William Henry Harrison died 32 days after being sworn in, the first president to die in office, VP John Tyler rejected the title of “acting president.” He was as much president as Washington had been. Some VPs who took over were outstanding like Teddy Roosevelt and Harry Truman, others were terrible like Andrew Johnson and Millard Fillmore.
Donald Trump chose wisely eight years ago; we will soon find out how he has done this time around.
