It’s still wildly early in the GOP primary season, but that doesn’t mean a clear-cut frontrunner hasn’t already emerged from the pack.
It may be early, but make no mistake: This is former President Donald Trump’s nomination to lose.
Given that, for any Republican with genuine political aspirations, there are few positions more tantalizing or filled with potential than being Trump’s vice president.
But the talkative former president has been positively mum on all matters involving a potential new No. 2, leading many to do little more than speculate.
The latest round of speculation suggests that the fiery and outspoken Kari Lake could be vying for that coveted role.
Lake, for the unfamiliar, first burst onto the political scene as a firebrand gubernatorial candidate in Arizona (a race which she still alleges was stolen from her) after a successful career doing local broadcast Arizona news.
Eventually growing weary of the establishment media landscape, Lake took to politics like a fish to water, immediately becoming a force of a gubernatorial candidate despite not having any political experience.
Regardless of how much mileage you may get out of stolen election narratives, it’s inarguable that Lake’s inaugural foray into politics showed that she could compete.
And it appears that the same fighting spirit and relentlessness that made her such an outstanding gubernatorial candidate are potentially paving a path for her to be the next Vice President of the United States.
Should Trump pick Kari Lake as his VP?
Yes: 77% (88 Votes)
No: 23% (27 Votes)
According to a Thursday report from People magazine, Lake is being described as “practically” living in Trump’s Florida fortress of Mar-a-Lago.
It’s worth noting that Lake has been an early and vocal supporter of the former president, often campaigning for him as needed.
“Kari Lake is there all the time,” an unnamed source told People. “There’s a suite there that she practically lives in.”
Lake’s team is denying that there’s anything to these rumors, however.
“Kari Lake often speaks at events all over the country in support of America First candidates and organizations; and when she does have the honor of being invited to speak at the beautiful Mar-a-Lago, she overnights at Hilton properties in Palm Beach with her loving husband of 25 years,” a statement from a Lake adviser to People read.
The testy response from Team Lake (which included a reference to “her loving husband of 25 years”) appears to stem from the rather sinister undertone to the entire People article.
The entire article is presented as if something untoward is happening between Trump and Lake, including claims that Lake spends more time at Mar-a-Lago than Trump’s third wife, Melania Trump.
While the tone of the article is the typical leftist filth one would come to expect in 2023, the possibility of a Lake VP bid is certainly an intriguing one.
A marked departure from former Vice President Mike Pence, Lake’s relative lack of time in the political sphere would likely be a solid selling point to a Trump voter base that is wildly disenfranchised with the established “uniparty” running America.
And also unlike the soft-spoken Pence, Lake has no problem speaking her mind in the most blunt manner possible. “Holding back” is not necessarily one of Lake’s strengths — and that’s a big positive for many of her most ardent supporters.
Lake also presents Trump with a few uniquely-fitting advantages, such as possibly helping the former president with suburban women vote and with Arizona (an increasingly purple battleground state.)
Of course, this is hardly the first time that Lake’s name has been bandied about as a potential VP pick.
Back in March, Axios did note that Lake was one of four women that Trump could potentially tap to be his 2024 vice president, but did note one fascinating caveat: Lake might be too big of a star to be a VP.
“[Trump] wants no risk that his running mate could outshine him,” Axios reported in March. “Lake would be assumed to be angling for president from the day she entered the White House.”
The former president has still not officially named a vice president, but not unlike how he is the front runner to secure the GOP presidential nomination, it’s looking more and more like Lake could be the front runner to secure that coveted VP nomination.
