Earlier this week, former Trump administration senior adviser Kellyanne Conway penned an op-ed for the New York Times in which she speculated on who would be the best running mate for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Surprisingly, Conway suggested that the best choice for Trump would be a person of color such as GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
“Taking all of this into consideration, if I were advising Mr. Trump, I would suggest he choose a person of color as his running mate.”
But as Michael Ian Black of the Daily Beast notes, Conway’s real motive may be much more sinister.
Question: Why did Conway write this piece at all?
A theory: Perhaps Conway’s positioning herself to be Trump’s VP pick. Why else write her piece for the much-despised New York Times, if not for the fact that she knows Trump hate-reads the paper. She suggests he select a person of color knowing full well that Trump is allergic to “diversity hires.” She also takes a bunch of shots at Vice President Harris, possibly auditioning lines of attack she will take on the debate stage if given the nod.
Black supports his theory by explaining that Conway “has a particular set of skills prized by the Trump team.”
For example, Conway is shameless. And she realizes the way to appeal to Trump is to focus on his greed.
Perhaps uniquely among his advisers, Conway understands that the way to Trump’s heart is through his wallet. She happily promoted Trump brands during her time in the White House, to the point that the Office of Special Counsel recommended she be fired for multiple violations of the Hatch Act. Further, she understands that loyalty-as-obsequiousness is precisely what Trump desires. Take this dandy quote: “I believe that Donald Trump is someone who is not fully understood for how compassionate and what a great boss he is to women.”
While Conway has no experience in elected office, it’s worth noting that Trump didn’t either, and he seems to favor people who aren’t part of what he calls the Washington “swamp.”
Could Kellyanne Conway be angling for a spot as running mate for Donald? If so, her op-ed may wind up being a very public way of letting the disgraced ex-president know that she thinks she can work her magic the way she did in 2016 and get him a second term.
