According to journalist Robert Draper, Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is being considered as former Republican President Donald Trump’s running mate in the event he campaigns for the White House in 2024.
Draper—a regular contributor to The New York Times Magazine— said on The Daily Beast‘s The New Abnormal podcast that the possibility of Greene joining Trump on the Republican ticket has been “discussed since February of this year, and it’s been discussed repeatedly.”
Draper did acknowledge however that "to be fair," Trump is likely speaking to other people in Washington as well but he did note that Greene has several characteristics that Trump might use to his advantage.
He said:
“She’s cognizant of the fact that the attention economy rewards hyperbole."
"In terms of how to run a winning campaign, she was right then, and she continues to be right now to the extent that in Georgia politics, everyone running for office is trying to be Marjorie Taylor Greene."
"They’re all competing to be more outrageous than the other and they’re stealing lines from her to the extent that it’s become bothersome to her because now she’s competing not only against herself and whatever outrageous thing she said the day before to gain attention, but she’s competing against her mimics too.”
Draper also pointed out that when it comes to fundraising, Greene has an excellent track record.
“Republicans kind of wanted to kick her to the curb immediately."
“But instead she became a fundraising dynamo, came to have this huge social media influence, and ultimately came to be very influential within the party itself.”
Most importantly, Draper added, Greene is completely loyal to Trump.
“She has been unflaggingly loyal to Trump throughout. What is Trump concerned about most of all in a VP after the Mike Pence experience?"
"Loyalty.
"He knows that if he needs someone to fight for him to overturn a presidential election. He has every reason to expect that Greene would be by his side and would be his proximate warrior.”
There is also a high likelihood that with Greene on his side, Trump will run an anti-LGBTQ+ campaign at a time when Republicans nationwide has given into conservative rhetoric about LGBTQ+ people being "groomers" who want to abuse young children.
For example, when Trump picked then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate in 2016, it was widely seen as an attack against LGBTQ+ citizens because of Pence's long history of signing off on legislation that explicitly targeted LGBTQ+ people.
The suggestion that Americans might see Trump and Greene together on the campaign trail revealed that social media users had very strong and concerned reactions.
Trump has still not explicitly confirmed whether or not he will run in 2024 though he has regularly hinted he would announce a presidential run after next month's midterm elections, which will determine if Democrats manage to retain control of both chambers of the legislature.
Trump's advisers have previously instructed him to wait before he makes an official announcement confirming his candidacy.
According to a Washington Post report, which cited individuals familiar with the discussions, advisers who had told the impatient Trump he has to wait before making an announcement were nervous that an early announcement would mobilize Democrats and increase voter turnout.
But the suggestion that he might potentially not be the GOP nominee is a telling one, particularly as federal authorities ramp up their investigations into his alleged criminality.
In fact, over the summer, Fox News personality Laura Ingraham surprised listeners when she said that the country might be ready to "turn the page" on Trump, a sign that ongoing investigations could be exhausting—and perhaps even repelling—Republicans who would otherwise vote for him.
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