Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is making no secret of the fact that if former President Donald Trump is the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, she wants to be his running mate. But Never Trump conservative and Daily Beast opinion columnist Matt Lewis seriously doubts that Trump would choose her.
A main reason, according to Lewis' January 30 column: "attention whore" Trump wouldn't want a running mate who overshadowed him in any way.
"The obvious things that should disqualify Greene have nothing to do with her political resume," Lewis argues. "I mean, if the Jewish space lasers aren't enough to shoot down her candidacy, you'd think the 9/11 trutherism would."
The subject of Greene being a possible Trump running mate if he gets the nomination came up during an appearance on Real America's Voice, where she said, "I have a great relationship with him. I talk to him frequently. I'm so thankful for him and his family, as we all are, and I defend him all the time. I swear, I would fight for that man because he fought for us, and that's the kinda president we need back. And if he were to ask me, of course, I would be honored."
According to NBC News, major figures in the MAGA movement are taking Greene quite seriously as a potential Trump running mate — including "War Room" host and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, who said of the far-right MAGA congresswoman, "This is no shrinking violet. She's ambitious — she's not shy about that, nor should she be…. She sees herself on the short list for Trump's VP. Paraphrasing Cokie Roberts, when MTG looks in the mirror she sees a potential president smiling back."
Lewis stresses, however, that Greene's extremism isn't what would likely disqualify her as a 2024 Trump running mate.
"I wouldn't bet on Greene for a few reasons," Lewis writes. "First, I believe that deep down, Trump sees her as being too 'low rent,' as Jonah Goldberg put it. Behind the populous facade, one gets the sense that Trump is secretly something of a snob…. Second, does Trump want Greene to inherit the family silver?.... Third, does he want to pick someone who might outshine him with his base? Trump is an attention whore. Deep down, Trump would prefer a straight man or woman he could outshine and later throw under the bus."
Lewis is not alone in the belief that Trump may avoid selecting a running mate who could upstage him.
"Unfortunately for her, honestly, Donald Trump is a shallow human being," Olivia Troye, a Never Trumper ex-aide to former Vice President Mike Pence, opined to MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart on Sunday. "And I don't think she's gonna meet the looks match for him. I hate to say that to disparage another female, but we know how shallow this man is."
Troye also cautioned that like Trump, Greene's ambitions should be taken seriously.
"Remember when we used to just kind of write off Donald Trump? When he started running for office and everyone thought it was a joke and that he wouldn't make it, and he made it to the Oval Office," Troye said. "When I watch people like Marjorie Taylor Greene say that they want to potentially be Madam Vice President someday under Trump, I don't write that off."
Troye added that "I actually think that's a very big concern and we should be paying attention to this because she's clearly clamoring for the attention. She put that out there so that Trump can see it and he can keep it in the back of his mind."
Read Matt Lewis' full Daily Beast opinion column at this link (subscription required)
