POLITICO Nightly: The weirdest, most inane veepstakes yet

 

BY CHARLIE MAHTESIAN Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the World Values Network's Presidential candidate series at the Glasshouse on July 25, 2023 in New York City. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images ARE YOU THE ONE — It’s only March, and the two major party nominations were just settled last night, but already juicy veepstakes stories are marking the rounds. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent candidate, announced today he will announce his vice presidential candidate March 26 in Oakland, Calif. Earlier this week it was revealed that he approached at least a half-dozen people to assess their interest in becoming his running mate. And NBC News reported today that former President Donald Trump recently made the rounds during Mar-a-Lago dinner hour, asking club members their thoughts on potential veep prospects and their stances on abortion . None of the accounts cast these presidential candidates in a favorable light, suggesting neither has learned much about the deep apprehensions voters have about the advanced ages of President Joe Biden and Trump himself. Far from suggesting a seriousness of purpose, their approaches to the selection of a running mate have signaled the opposite. Kennedy’s shortlist gives every indication it’s an exercise designed to milk the power of celebrity or notoriety. There is Aaron Rodgers, a Hall of Fame-caliber NFL quarterback best-known for his anti-vaccine views, conspiracy theories and his body of work in State Farm insurance commercials. And Jesse Ventura, a former one-term Minnesota governor whose name has been floated regularly in the nearly two decades since then as a prospective third-party candidate for president. While Ventura at least has state and local governance experience, a Kennedy-Ventura ticket wouldn’t exactly offer a strong generational contrast to the major party nominees — voters would have the choice of an 81-year-old Democrat, a 77-year-old Republican or a third-party ticket featuring two slightly younger septuagenarians. Other individuals Kennedy has reportedly been in contact with include former senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.), former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Tony Robbins, the popular motivational speaker and life coach. Both Rodgers and Robbins have been featured in photos on Kennedy’s social media accounts, racking up the likes and views — in the case of Rodgers, a photo of the pair on a hiking trail has registered nearly 3 million views. Trump’s search for a running mate has taken a different tack, though it’s equally hollow. It dates back to late 2022, when he first announced his intention to run again. As he launched his campaign for a second non-consecutive term, he also launched an “Official Trump 2024 Vice President Poll” to ask people who should be his running mate. Since then, his fundraising appeals have consistently teased his veepstakes and he’s regularly leveraged his potential pick for attention. Last fall, the Trump campaign said all seven of his primary rivals — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C) and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum — were crossed off his potential vp list . Yet some of them have now resurfaced as supposed short-listers. A few months later, at a January town hall in Iowa, Trump said that he already knew his choice for running mate, but declined to provide details. “I can’t tell you that really,” the former president said when asked about a potential vice president. “I mean, I know who it’s going to be.” Nearly every prominent Republican office-holder who hasn’t crossed him has made an appearance as a vice presidential prospect at one time or another in news accounts. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has said her name is on Trump’s list . When Trump was in Texas last month, he said Gov. Greg Abbott was “absolutely” on his short list. Vice presidential picks have always revealed a great deal about the presidential candidates who select them — so have the selection processes. They tell you about the traits a candidate values, and provide an insight into how they think. So far, what we’ve learned is that what these candidates value most is command of the attention economy. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at cmahtesian@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @PoliticoCharlie .   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     WHAT'D I MISS? — TikTok’s biggest threat passes the House: The House passed a bill today that would force TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the app or face a ban on U.S. app stores — posing the most serious threat to the popular video-sharing platform to date. The measure earned wide bipartisan support — passing 352-65 — with backing from House Speaker Mike Johnson and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Its “no” votes spanned a wide ideological range, including both conservative lawmakers like Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who raised Amendment concerns, and progressives like Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) who say Congress should pass privacy legislation covering all social media sites, not just TikTok. — Judge tosses six charges in Trump Georgia indictment: The state judge presiding over Donald Trump’s criminal case in Georgia has thrown out six of the indictment’s 41 charges , ruling that the state had failed to make specific enough allegations to support them. The ruling affects three of the 13 felony counts Trump faces in the case, though not the central charge of a racketeering conspiracy aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Several of the dismissed counts do not involve Trump but instead apply to some of his most prominent co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Mark Meadows. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee emphasized that prosecutors may refile the charges with greater detail or appeal his ruling. — Hunter Biden declines public hearing for House GOP impeachment inquiry: Hunter Biden will not attend a March 20 public hearing with the House Oversight Committee , skipping what would have been a high-profile hearing for House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry. Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s lawyer, notified Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) today that the president’s son will not attend the hearing in a letter. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 HOW TO TALK ABOUT ABORTION — Kellyanne Conway, former counselor to former President Donald Trump, has advice for Republicans struggling to talk about abortion on the campaign trail : flip the script and accuse Democrats of extremism while advocating for policies she views as a compromise, such as a ban on the procedure after 15 weeks with exemptions for rape, incest and threats to the life of the mother. “I think that to show concession and consensus is really the way to go,” she said. TRUMP’S NEW HIRE — Former Rep. Mark Walker, the North Carolina Republican who was preparing to face a Donald Trump-backed candidate in a House runoff election, just took a new job instead. He’s going to work for Trump. Walker, Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, will immediately begin working on the campaign’s outreach to faith groups and minority communities. The arrangement was finalized around 5 p.m. Tuesday, when Trump called and offered Walker the job, Walker told POLITICO in an interview. The pair have shared a complicated relationship in recent years, with Trump endorsing against Walker in primary races for Senate and House after Walker served three terms in Congress, but lost his seat due to redistricting. “Third-party discussions” between Walker’s and Trump’s teams began just over a week ago, according to Walker. AROUND THE WORLD A protester burns tires during a demonstration in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday. | Clarens Siffroy/AFP via Getty Images PANEL PROBLEMS — A proposal to install new leadership in Haiti appeared to be crumbling today as some political parties rejected the plan to create a presidential council that would manage the transition, The Associated Press reports. The panel would be responsible for selecting an interim prime minister and a council of ministers that would attempt to chart a new path for the Caribbean country that has been overrun by gangs. The violence has closed schools and businesses and disrupted daily life across Haiti. Jean Charles Moïse, an ex-senator and presidential candidate who has teamed up with former rebel leader Guy Philippe, held a news conference today to announce his rejection of the proposed council backed by the international community. Moïse insisted that a three-person presidential council he recently created with Philippe and a Haitian judge should be implemented. GET YOUR DRAFT CARDS READY — Denmark plans to conscript women for military service , the Danish government revealed today, becoming one of just a few countries requiring women to serve in the armed forces. “More robust conscription, including full gender equality, must contribute to solving defense challenges, national mobilization and manning our armed forces,” said Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen at a press conference. Women in Denmark can already volunteer for military service. In 2023, they made up about a quarter of the cohort. Denmark is now the third country in Europe to introduce female conscription. Norway and Sweden did so in 2015 and in 2017, respectively. The Danish Army consists of 7,000 to 9,000 professional troops, excluding conscripts undergoing basic training, according to official figures. Compulsory military service applies to men over the age of 18. However, because there are enough volunteers, not all young men are conscripted. Instead, a lottery is held.   Easily connect with the right N.Y. State influencers and foster the right relationships to champion your policy priorities. POLITICO Pro. Inside New York. Learn more .     NIGHTLY NUMBER €5 billion The size of a new fund for military aid to Ukraine ($5.47 billion) that EU countries agreed upon today after months of deadlock. There is an expectation that the Ukraine Assistance Fund will get another €5 billion next year. RADAR SWEEP THE PULL OF FANDOM — What is it that makes sports fans come back to their favorite team, year after year, even when failure is expected and sometimes even encouraged by the team’s management? There’s lots of different theories, but for a lot of fans, the joy of finally watching a good team is only heightened by the years of suffering that they’ve endured . This is something that fans of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves know all too well. The franchise has never won a championship. But this year, despite a terrible injury to one of their best players, there’s hope. The team is good, young and fun. It might not last forever, but it’s here now. For ESPN, writer and T-Wolves fan Hanif Abdurraqib went deep on the Timberwolves season, but in doing so excavated some deeper truths about fandom and America. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1951: Women in Egypt carry slogans and shout as they demonstrate at the gates of King Farouk’s Abdin Palace in Cairo. They submitted a request to the King claiming political rights for Egyptian women — who at the time did not have the right to vote and could not be appointed to civil posts. | AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   FOLLOW US

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