The 3 types of Trump VP candidates on the Hill

Feb 02, 2024

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With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team

Donald Trump puts a fist in the air.

The former president seems to be enjoying having lawmakers in a party that nearly wrote him off three years ago compete to be his No. 2. | John Locher/AP

TRUMP VP AUDITIONS

With Donald Trump all but locking up the Republican nomination, Capitol Hill is back to a classic parlor game: Who will be his vice president?

For now, the former president seems to be enjoying having lawmakers in a party that nearly wrote him off three years ago compete to be his No. 2.

“He’s not deciding that right now. I’m just letting you know. I know it's a big headline. I know y'all ask everybody. There's probably going to be a lot of people considered and he won't be making that decision for months,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a Trump ally, told us.

Trump seems to enjoy the preening, but there’s no guarantee it will pay off. Flashback to July 2016, when he picked Indiana’s then-Gov. Mike Pence to be his running mate, considered a more prudent choice over other conservatives vying for the job (like former Speaker Newt Gingrich).

Trump might opt for the safe option again, especially given he’s already lost the White House to Biden before. Here’s a look at some of the Hill folks Trump is considering, and how they’re trying to win him over — or not:

1. The obvious auditioners: Both GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) have been fairly aggressive in their bid to seek Trump’s nod, though they’ve gone about it in very different ways.

Stefanik was one of the first Republicans to endorse Trump’s reelection bid, and she’s acted as a Trump surrogate for months, praising and defending his actions at every turn. Recently, she even removed a press release from her website that called for prosecuting the rioters immediately after Jan. 6. And she’s earned praise after her viral line of questioning of university presidents about hate speech on their campuses.

Scott sought the presidential bid himself, gaining more notoriety that way. He dropped out well before the Iowa caucuses and eventually endorsed Trump, missing Senate votes to stump for him in New Hampshire.

We asked Scott about the vice presidential search in the Capitol hallways and got the brush off. When we reached out to his office, we never heard back.

But he clearly sees Stefanik as a threat, so much so that Scott has reportedly been shopping around oppo on the New Yorker.

2. The less obvious: Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has been praised repeatedly by folks in Trump’s inner-circle, including his son Donald Trump Jr. He’s held to Trump’s position on the border and Ukraine negotiations and was an early endorser of the former president as well.

And though he’s not pushing himself as publicly or aggressively as Stefanik or Scott, Vance said himself last month he’d be up for the job.

“I’ve expressed a desire to help the president however he needs help. I think I’d be an important ally in the Senate. Obviously, if he asked me, I’d be very interested,” Vance said.

3. The longshots: Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) are also both on Trump’s list for the job. Donalds told us this week he was interested but hadn’t discussed it with the former president.

“It's really cool to be on the shortlist, I gotta say,” Donalds said Thursday, adding that the eventual pick for Trump’s VP should be “working overtime to help get the legislative agenda through Congress.”

Britt is a bit different from others on the list. The first-term senator is seen as a rising star in the Republican Party, but she and the former president haven’t always had the smoothest relationship. Trump originally endorsed her primary rival Mo Brooks, though he eventually rescinded that and endorsed Britt when Brooks started falling in the polls.

Later, Britt endorsed Trump for president in December after some backlash for remaining neutral for so long into the primary season.

— Daniella Diaz

A message from American Chemistry Council – Chemistry Creates America Competes:

President Biden: American chemistry is the backbone of innovation. It's time to address the regulatory overload stifling American chemistry. Chemistry powers our semiconductors, medical devices, and clean energy initiatives. But your administration’s avalanche of regulations is hampering America’s progress and competitiveness. American chemistry is more than an industry; it's our future. The Biden Administration must commit to smarter, growth-oriented regulations before it’s too late - because when chemistry is enabled to create, America competes.

GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, Feb. 2, where we are very happy it’s the weekend!

WATCH KENNEDY ON BORDER DEAL

John Kennedy isn’t typically a congressional bellwether. Yet if you’re looking for clues about the prospects of a border, immigration and foreign aid deal among Senate Republicans, he’s someone you should keep an eye on.

The wise-cracking Louisianan is one of the most closely watched senators heading into a do-or-die week for the long-negotiated package, according to interviews with Democratic and Republican senators alike. In the Senate GOP, there’s a small group of near-certain “yes” votes, some ironclad “no” votes and then a bunch of people in play — like Kennedy.

Kennedy (like other Republicans in that basket) is not making any commitment until he sees bill text, which is expected to come over the weekend. But as a staunch conservative and proponent for Ukraine aid, he’s in some ways the median GOP voter in the Senate for a bill like this. He endorsed former President Donald Trump recently but said in an interview he’s willing to break with Trump on the legislation “if I think that this bill will reduce the flow of people illegally coming into our country over the next 10 months.”

Democrats have called Kennedy a “force for good” on Ukraine, as one put it to us this week. And the Louisianan acknowledged a lot of the border brouhaha on the right is … not about the border.

“No one has seen the bill and some of the bickering is not in good faith. It's an attempt to kill the supplemental, not because of border, but because of Ukraine. It’s just undeniable,” Kennedy said in an interview this week.

Warning sign: Kennedy is also asking for more time to review the bill than it seems Democratic leaders will allow, with a vote set for next week. He warned that if they “drop this bill and try to rush it through in four to five days. People will pick up their pitchforks.” He said “no way” it will pass before a recess set to kick in at the end of next week.

— Burgess Everett

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SHUTDOWN ‘CRUNCH TIME’

In exactly four weeks, Congress will face yet another shutdown deadline. After a myriad of failures on previous spending bills, let’s check in on how lawmakers are doing this time.

Appropriations are “at a crunch already,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) acknowledged, as he works to tie up the bill that funds the State Department and foreign operations.

They made significant progress last month: Diaz-Balart and his counterparts just wrapped up a full week of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on final text of the dozen funding bills, after Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger (R-Texas) reached a deal last Friday on the 302(b) numbers that set the overall total for each of the 12 measures.

Top appropriators are optimistic they can finalize their bills by the dual funding deadlines on March 1 and March 8.

BUT: There’s still a ways to go. Appropriators are wary about the path to final passage, especially given House Republican friction over funding for Ukraine and border security. There’s “no end” to the issues Congress needs to resolve right now, said Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), who chairs the appropriations subcommittee that funds the IRS and the Treasury Department. “The problem is, how are we going to be able to resolve them when there are such strong differences on our side of the aisle?”

While relieved that bipartisan negotiations have finally begun, appropriators in both parties are annoyed that they’ve waited so long to start those cross-party talks. It has now been eight months since the debt limit agreement was signed into law, setting overall totals that could have spurred bipartisan funding negotiations over the summer, had then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy bucked the House Freedom Caucus’ demand to undercut those totals.

“They have literally wasted six months,” said Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the House’s top Democratic appropriator. “We’re dealing with the same topline that we had in June.”

— Jennifer Scholtes and Caitlin Emma

A message from American Chemistry Council – Chemistry Creates America Competes:

HUDDLE HOTDISH

The House Oversight Committee is moving to electronic voting next week, spokesperson Austin Hacker confirmed to Anthony. "The adoption of electronic voting will enable members to conduct Committee business in a more efficient and effective manner," he said in a statement.

Kevin McCarthy is still signing fundraising emails even though he’s not the speaker anymore.

John and Gisele Fetterman surprised Katie Britt for her birthday.

QUICK LINKS

Andy Kim leads Tammy Murphy by double digits in NJ Senate race, poll says, from Matt Friedman

Republicans in Congress are bending to Trump’s demands. Some are frustrated, from Burgess Everett, Olivia Beavers and Meridith McGraw

A message from American Chemistry Council – Chemistry Creates America Competes:

President Biden, America’s priorities depend on chemistry

America’s chemical industry is the foundation of semiconductors, medical devices, infrastructure, defense, clean energy and more. But there's a looming threat – ballooning regulatory overload.

Over the past two decades, regulations on chemical manufacturing have doubled. This isn't just numbers, it's a reality that hampers policies like the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Chips and Science Act.

The Biden Administration’s current approach is a direct hit to America's innovation and global standing. We need to wake up to the reality that over-regulation stifles growth and production. It's time for the Biden Administration to adopt smarter, growth-oriented regulations.

Join us in urging the Biden Administration to stop undercutting national priorities and American competitiveness. American chemistry isn't just an industry -- it's our future. When Chemistry Creates, America Competes.

TRANSITIONS

Dan Kranz has been promoted to deputy chief of staff for Rep. Marc Molinaro’s (R-N.Y.). He most recently served as Molinaro's communications director.

CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham is adding Taylor Foy as a senior adviser and Nicholas Elliot as a confidential assistant and policy adviser. Foy previously was comms director for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Elliot previously was a legislative aide for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).

MONDAY IN CONGRESS

The House and Senate are in session.

MONDAY AROUND THE HILL

3:00 p.m. Reps. Chris Smith (D-N.J.) and Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and others on the World Health Organization's "pandemic treaty."

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TRIVIA

THURSDAY’S ANSWER: Andrew Ryan correctly answered that since 1984, the Department of Interior most frequently sees its secretary being appointed “designated survivor” for the State of the Union (and other presidential addresses to joint sessions of Congress).

TODAY’S QUESTION, from Andrew: This US senator recently discovered that they were related to a fabulous American television personality (and major Wyoming land owner, randomly) in 2020. Name that senator and their newly-discovered cousin.

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com.

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Follow Daniella on X at @DaniellaMicaela.