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 .
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