The results of Super Tuesday leave little doubt that Donald J. Trump is headed for a third consecutive Republican presidential nomination. After the former president romped through more than a dozen states, his only remaining serious contender for the nomination – former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley – called it quits after winning primaries only in the liberal bastions of Vermont and the District of Columbia.
Gary Bauer, chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, served in the Reagan administration in the 1980s. He says Trump's climb to where he is now is likely one of the most incredible comebacks in American political history.
"Donald Trump lost an election in 2020 that was very controversial and riddled with charges of fraud," Bauer tells AFN. "And here we are, eight months or so away from the 2024 presidential election, and at least at this moment [he] is emerging as an incredibly strong candidate."
Trump's opponents are dazed, he adds. Joe Biden, says Bauer, is "reeling from multiple problems" while Haley is "sitting somewhere wondering what went wrong."
"The performance of the former president across every section of the country on Super Tuesday was nothing short of extraordinary," Bauer exclaims. "He is a phenomenon – a cultural phenomenon, a political phenomenon – and millions of Americans believe he's the only hope they have to save the country."
Following Super Tuesday's results, Trump has collected 1,059 delegates, needing roughly 150 more to reach the 1,215 needed to secure the nomination. He is expected to officially gain the nomination next Tuesday (March 12) when primaries are held in Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Washington.
Who will be Trump's #2?
With Trump having effectively secured the GOP nomination, the focus now is going to be more intense on who his running mate will ultimately be. Robert Knight, a conservative activist and a columnist for The Washington Times, says the former president has several good options. He thinks the frontline candidates right now are South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
"Kristi Noem has always been supportive of President Trump and is very articulate and very conservative," says the columnist. "And Tim Scott – he's articulate too, and he gets along great with President Trump. And he would add to the minority aspect to the ticket … and that would be a nightmare for Democrats."
But Knight still thinks that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – who dropped out of the race in January and endorsed the former president – would be a good pick if he and Trump can get along.
"President Trump would be a lame duck president," he points out, "and that means his vice president would be in the most prominent seat for getting the nomination in 2028, and then could run again in 2032, making it an eight-year term on top of a four-year Trump term.
"You're talking about enough years to undo a lot of the damage done by leftists to this country if that happens."
Other names that have been mentioned as potential VP candidates to join Trump include former rival Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake.
What about Tulsi?
Another name that may come up, however, is former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. During a recent appearance on the Fox News Channel, she was asked about Trump recently confirming that she is on his short list for VP.
Gabbard: "I'd be honored to serve our country in that way and be in a position to help President Trump actually solve these very, very serious problems that we're experiencing, both here at home as it relates to border security, as it relates to our economy, as it relates to public safety – as well as the serious national security and foreign policy challenges that we face."
Bauer tells AFN he is willing to give Trump "a great deal of leeway" on his VP pick. "The Republican Party is a populist conservative party now, and it's attracting people who don't uniquely fit in to a conservative box. So, I want him to pick somebody who will help him win," he explains.
But Bauer is also urging Trump and his advisors to keep something else in mind.
"The biggest strength he's got is the commitment of the overwhelming majority of American people of faith to his candidacy," he notes. "So, he's got to be careful not to do anything that would undermine or hurt the enthusiasm level of that base."
