I haven't seen this discussed since the debate, and I'm curious what people think would happen.
(If you've seen this twice, I first posted it to a community that only allows links to news items, which rule I read only after creating the post. I removed that post)
The idea came from a post-debate discussion on NPR (National Public Radio), where one of the (professional) political commentators was asked if this was possible and they replied, briefly, that it would have to be done soon.
- From the analyst's response, and what I can find online (e.g., here) it seems that it's not too late for Trump to make this change. Vance would have to voluntarily step down, but I can't imagine him defying Trump if he was told to beat it.
- It's clear Trump isn't as enamored of Vance as he initially was.
- I think even hard-core conservatives would agree that Vance hasn't helped Trump's campaign, and (as the commentator pointed out) he's gone off-piste from Trump's talking points at times.
- Trump's core is voting for Trump; the running mate is a side show, and it's questionable how much Vance appeals to Trump's base. I believe Trump knows all of this, or at least believes it himself.
- Trump prides himself on firing people when he doesn't like the way things are going, and it would be in keeping character for him to make Vance a scapegoat for the polling reversal and his losing the debate.
Therefore, I think this is not just a purely hypothetical question, but a very real possibility. Trump is chaos at the best of times, and this would be an unsurprising action. Regardless of advice he gets from his handlers, he'll do what he feels like.
So my questions are: first, who's the most likely choice for a swap; and second, how do you think it'd impact the election?
It would be the right move for them to swap now, but I don't think Trump will, because it'll make him look weak, like he made a bad pick, and that's all he (and many a Trump voter) cares about. The longer they leave it, the less likely it happens, and the more damage it does to their campaign
Even moreso because he's spent so much time shitting on dems for replacing Biden.
Except he's never accepted responsibility for bad picks before. He's known for taking pride in a willingness to hire random people and fire and replace them.
How many people did he fire, or who quit very probably under duress, during his Presidency?
Actually, that's thee thing. The only legal way for him to get rid of Vance now is if Vance withdraws. That would make it look like Vance's decision, not his, which takes power away from him; males him look like a rat fleeing a sinking ship. Trump has no problem firing people; he's less keen when they quit on him. And if Vance withdraws and Trump goes on record saying that what really happened is that he fired him, that could be more legal trouble for him, I guess. He's probably sick of sitting in court rooms by now.