Former President Donald Trump on Monday bypassed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in making his vice-presidential pick, averting what could have been a major change in Florida’s political landscape.
Trump announced freshman U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his 2024 running mate, a short time after the Republican National Convention opened in Milwaukee.
“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of vice president of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the great state of Ohio,” Trump said in an online post.
The running-mate selection was one of the few anticipated moments of drama as the four-day convention opened, but the gravity of the pick increased after an assassination attempt Saturday on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.
Rubio, a Miami-Dade County Republican who first was elected to the Senate in 2010, was advised he wouldn’t be Trump’s pick before it was made public during an afternoon roll call of state convention delegates.
Rubio tweeted “#TrumpVance2024!!!” after Trump posted his selection.
The Florida Democratic Party responded by tweeting a photo of Rubio frowning.
Democrats also criticized Vance, a Yale-educated former venture capitalist whose best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” recalled his upbringing in the rust belt. In a prepared statement, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried described Vance as having “built his career around insulting rural Americans and the working class.”
Rubio, Vance and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum were reported to be on the short list of finalists.
After the shooting at the rally on Saturday, Rubio criticized the media coverage and posted online: “God protected President Trump.”
Vance blamed rhetoric from the Biden campaign. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance wrote online.
Before Monday’s selection, Democrats and other Trump critics had raised questions about Rubio, who lost the GOP presidential nomination to Trump in 2016.
Ana Navarro, a Republican commentator and Trump critic who was part of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s administration, questioned Rubio’s loyalty, pointing to a “metamorphosis” over the past three decades.
“He worked for my husband (former state Republican Chairman Al Cardenas) for a while. He was a very different Marco Rubio back then than he is today,” Navarro said in a conference call with reporters last week. “He was a very different Marco Rubio in 2016, when he was criticizing Donald Trump and attacking Donald Trump than he is today.”
If he had been chosen vice president, Rubio would have been expected to resign from the Senate and temporarily declare a new state of residency, as Trump also is a resident of Florida..
Gov. Ron DeSantis would then have been able to pick a successor to Rubio until an election could be held.
The son of working-class Cuban immigrants who in 2006 became speaker of the Florida House, Rubio is 52, telegenic and viewed as a link to suburban voters and Spanish speakers.
While Rubio was under consideration, University of Central Florida political-science professor Aubrey Jewett said he would offer more positives for the Trump campaign than negatives. That included being a recognized name, having foreign-policy credentials and an ability to help Trump get his message out in Spanish in the southwest U.S.
“His potential appeal to Hispanics, not just Cuban Hispanics, but Hispanics across the country, I think that’s a pretty big positive,” Jewett said. “That’s a group that Trump has done well with, better than a lot of people thought he was going to do given his talk about illegal immigration and disparaging remarks about Hispanics and Mexicans.”
–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida
Jim says
So Trump’s selection for a VP is a guy who has been a senator for two years and wrote a book about rednecks. Sounds like he’s fully qualified in the MAGA universe.
And yet another Republican who has gone 180 degrees from saying he hated Trump to now parroting any and everything Trump spews forth.
Between the two of them, we’re in for some terrible years if they are elected but if that occurs, we all deserve what we get!
Wallingford says
Trump picked an individual who will spew the same baseless claims as Trump himself would. He wants someone who will sell his heart and soul to MAGA. Vance has as indicated by his appearance at the NY Courthouse and by stating that Biden bears the responsibility for the shooting
Amarjeet kr bharadwaj says
Trump bypasses Rubio and picks JD Vance for VP! 🗳️🇺🇸 Vance’s selection adds fresh energy to the ticket. Rubio shows support with a tweet, while Democrats criticize the choice. Exciting times ahead! #TrumpVance2024 🌟🚀
Me says
Rubio consider yourself lucky for not getting picked.
Jackson Gallagher says
Thank Chris Christie and his dismantling of Rubio for Trump choosing the Silicon Valley hero here.
Tony Mac says
Clearly, we can’t rely on journalists to question directly the candidacy of Donald Trump. It’s too easy to focus on “Biden, Biden, Biden” hour after hour, day after day.
Journalists are falling all over themselves to find any Democrat who wants Biden to step down. But not one of them has the guts to ask any Republican how they can support having a convicted criminal leading their party. The media is walking Trump into the Oval office.
But consider this — and remember not one single “journalist” has posed this to any Republican politician — For the first time in American history, an entire political party, representing millions of Americans, are conceding that it is okay to put a convicted criminal in the Oval Office! An entire political party and its members would rather have a criminal lead this Nation than a decent, honorable man.
And the media refuses to ask any Republican how they justify supporting Trump.
Those “Gatekeepers of Democracy” will fail to do their work and the result could be catastrophic for this Republic.
Republicans don’t do anything without a game plan — ask Peter Navarro about the Green Bay Sweep.. Somewhere there is a document written by the actual shot-callers — not Trump– that describes exactly what they intend to accomplish. I suspect that they already have plans in place to declare Trump the winner in November even if he lacks the majority of the votes. They have AGs in place, legislatures in place, attorneys in place and judges in place to fulfill their dreams of a dictatorship. It’s all in Plan 2025. Republicans always play the long game and they are about to realize the extreme goal — everything and everybody is in place…Trump’s just a pawn in the oligarchs’ power play — count on it.
Pogo says
@Quarterback sneak — with Vance as QB
After the inauguration, Trump humps the country with Project 2025, and the owner class’s girl (Vance) — invokes the 25th Amendment (sub rosa) to “save” us: Trump accepts the offer he can’t refuse and announces his mission accomplished. “We” are safe in Vance’s (and VP Johnson’s) soft hands.
And the student protesters? Making babies for the fatherland — or else.
History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
Charles says
Not surprised Trump picked someone that will be his number one puppet and take orders and kiss his ring on a daily basis. Then there is Vance’s wife who clerked for Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh, so it is the circle of discrimination and for the White Boys Club of America. All supporters of Project 2025.
I laugh when other have the nerve to say Kamala Harris isn’t qualified to be President and she has been VP for almost four years over Vance who has absolutely no experience. That is why he is Trumps pick, because Trump can order him around like a water boy or a shoeshine boy. We get it loud and clear and more reasons not to vote for Trump.
Mona says
You are right about that.
Mona says
And it used to be a party of high morals.
James says
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2024/jul/17/leaked-conversation-just-the-latest-example-of-tru/
James says
https://www.businessinsider.com/jd-vance-rust-belt-appeal-ohio-gop-trump-senate-ryan-2024-7
Dennis C Rathsam says
So you’d rather pay double for grocery,s, you,d rather pay $1.50, or more for gas. You,d rather pay hundreds of dollars more for insurance, if you can get it, or afford it. You don’t care about Bidens invaders that rape & kill our young girls! You don’t care about China expanding its communist grip around the world? You don’t care Xi, Putin, Kim, & the scumbags from Iran are COMMING for us, they want to destroy America, & its freedoms. Hate TRUMP the personality, I get it…. But this is not a popularity contest! This is the future of our country. 4 years of democrat rule, failed policies, inflation, where there was once none, interest rates not Comming down. People working 2 jobs to servive & feed thier familys. Rent is out of control…. With Biden as president, the money runs out before the end of the month, When TRUMP was president there was money left over at months end so family’s had a little nest egg, or money for a vacation. I just don’t get it….they say you cant fix stupitity…. Don’t let the democrats flush our country down the toilet!
Sherry says
Right On! Tony Mac!
Sherry says
@ Charles, couldn’t agree more!
Attention Walmart shoppers says
“… price drop on all Faded Glory brand t-shirts… aisles 7 and 8.”
Shop at Walmart Dennis? Amazon?
Btw, “Faded Glory” (apparently established in 1972) was an actual brand name sold at Walmart.
Laurel says
Tell us what you know, factually, about Vance. Tell us of his experience, and about who pushed him to the current position. Why do you figure there is no time to have this unknown vetted? Do you just accept this man blindly?
Laurel says
Just wait until you get a load of Trump’s 10% tariffs.