Kellyanne Conway, ex-senior adviser to former President Trump, mentioned Thursday the GOP nominee does not regret picking Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate and mentioned he would make the identical determination right this moment if given the chance.
In a stay interview for The Atlantic Competition 2024, political journalist Tim Alberta famous that, when Trump made his choice for vice chairman, he was main President Biden within the polls and members of the previous president’s marketing campaign “had been brazenly speaking to me, and in The Atlantic, a few blowout, 325 electoral votes.”
“It felt like, at that time, that the Vance decide was a luxurious that they had been making, that he was type of selecting an inheritor obvious, quite than a type of governing companion, and somebody who could possibly be additive to the ticket,” Alberta mentioned, earlier than asking whether or not she thinks Trump would decide another person, had he recognized that Biden would bow out of the race simply days later.
“No, he needed Sen. Vance actually all alongside,” Conway replied. “He saved going again to these final three finalists — and mentioned that publicly — so I am not saying something that everyone did not hear.”
She continued, “So no, I believe he at all times needed any person who he thinks is prepared to enter enemy territory, the lion’s den on TV, as a result of he had seen JD Vance on CNN, on MSNBC, on the three main networks, unafraid to speak about America First.
“He likes his life story. He likes, he likes his nice tutorial credentials, like Yale Legislation College, however he additionally loves that story of the American dream.”
She additionally threw the query again on the Democrats through the interview.
“I truly suppose your entire assemble that you simply’re asking me can be a query for Vice President Harris, as goes Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania,” mentioned Conway, who served as Trump’s marketing campaign supervisor in 2016, whereas noting the decision “was a no brainer.”
The Trump ally mentioned she thinks among the controversies about Vance are “baked in” already, noting the general public is conscious that the first-term senator was very important of the previous president and that he criticized childless women with pet cats.
“I believe turning the spigot on him full blast within the first day or two was a mistake,” she mentioned concerning the damaging media protection of Vance instantly after his announcement. “And right here’s why: as a result of what else is there? In different phrases, if you wish to damage somebody, you dribble it out.”
“However everyone, the media, had been so excited to possibly drown him and suppose Trump would go away him with no lifeboat,” she continued. “Trump’s not going to do this. He is not going to do this any greater than he’ll fireplace his marketing campaign crew.”
Conway added that recommendations for Trump to drop Vance from the ticket had been “coming from individuals who do not like him and can by no means vote for him and spent years convincing us that, behind the scenes, exterior of public view, Joe Biden is a few, President Biden is one way or the other a trapeze-artist triathlete. So, I am glad he ignored the recommendation.”