Pence’s ordeal isn’t deterring Trump’s potential ticket mates

CNN —

Being Donald Trump’s vice president didn’t end well for Mike Pence — but there’s no sign his painful split from the ex-president over his anti-constitutional demands is scaring off any of the hopefuls keen to slip into his shoes.

The presumptive GOP nominee’s search for a new number two is expected to culminate with a dramatic unveiling at the Republican National Convention in a month, likely choreographed to engineer a TV ratings bump.

At various points, the list of possible contenders has included Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

Trump shattered all conventions about the business of running for president and serving in the Oval Office. And putting potential running mates through a televised audition process is no exception. The old school playbook in which possible nominees feign a lack of interest in the post to maximize their chances of getting it is antithetical to Trump’s way of operating.

Possible picks trying to catch Trump’s eye go on television, knowing he’s probably watching, and sprinkle compliments, talk up his chances of winning, amplify his voter fraud conspiracy theories and slam his criminal conviction. Some have made clear that they wouldn’t have done what Pence did on January 6, 2021, when he concluded that he did not have power to change the outcome of the 2020 election in Congress.

Former Vice President Mike Pence at the US Capitol on May 16, 2024.

The almost total adoption of Trump’s mantras suggests that the experience of the last Republican vice president — who