Vice President Kamala Harris predicted former President Donald Trump’s running mate will likely be a “rubber stamp,” specifically someone who prioritizes loyalty to him over the country.
Harris’s statement comes a few days after Trump stated he knows who his vice presidential candidate will be and that this candidate will “most likely” be at the first presidential debate scheduled for Thursday. When asked about who her opponent in the vice presidential debate will be, Harris claimed she does not spend much time thinking about this but argued there’s “a litmus test” over who Trump would pick.
“I think we saw what happened in terms of Jan. 6, and he’s certainly not going to pick another Mike Pence, who stands to defend and support the Constitution and is more likely to bring in someone who’s going to be a rubber stamp,” Harris said. “And the bottom line is that you look at the reported short list, and it is clear that the top contenders on that short list either support a national abortion ban or have signed off on a Trump abortion ban in their state, so I think the contrast is going to be pretty clear, whoever he chooses.”
The rumored candidates on Trump’s short list for vice president include Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Byron Donalds (R-FL), and Ben Carson, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Harris also dismissed polling data indicating Trump and President Joe Biden are neck-and-neck ahead of the election, arguing that elections are “always close.” She also pointed to “the Red drip” the Republican Party experienced during the 2022 midterm elections, which many predicted would be a landslide victory for Republicans.
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Former Vice President Mike Pence has stated he will not endorse Trump ahead of the election, arguing his former boss was turning away from conservative policies. Trump, meanwhile, has largely shrugged off Pence’s comment and stated he “couldn’t care less” what his former running mate thinks.
Trump and Biden will debat on CNN on Thursday. Network anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate the debate, which will be simulcast on ABC. Harris has accepted an invitation from CBS News to debate Trump’s running mate which could be held on either July 23 or Aug. 13, according to the Biden campaign.
