Alabama's Morning News with JT
Rory O'Neil says Rubio and Trump are in Florida
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It's not a big deal that the Senator from that state shows up at these kinds of events, but Rubio did just get back to Washington after the 4th of July recess, so that's a bit of an asterisk worth noting on here anyway. But Donald Trump spoke to Sean Hannity last night and said he's close to making a decision, but teased he might even wait until the actual convention next week to make it official. Donald Trump, the master of the T's, Rory, let's talk about the strategy behind picking somebody like Marco Rubio. Okay, he's young, and that's a positive for the president because he's no spring chicken himself. It also could potentially bring the Hispanic vote, but at the same time, they're both from the same state. So what's the thoughts on the strategy behind it? Well, right, I mean, one may be that Marco Rubio can bring in more Latino voters, Donald Trump has done well, or we've seen his polling numbers increase among minorities, both black and Latino voters, especially males in those two demographics. So maybe he could see that as a way to bolster that support nationally. Also Marco Rubio's got some pretty good credentials when it comes to international affairs, this time in the Senate Intelligence Committee, and that's sort of maybe his area of expertise, where Donald Trump may focus more on domestic issues, so that's another possibility. But then you look at some of the other contenders still in the field. J.D. Banche, the senator from Ohio, a pick there means that Ohio would likely be out of play, so that would make it easier for a Trump win. And Doug Burgum, Trump and Burgum seem to get along well. Burgum, though, a governor from North Dakota, certainly not bringing much to the table when it comes to the Electoral College. And that's a big part of it, the Electoral College. And if Donald Trump were to pick somebody from Florida, because for all intents and purposes, Donald Trump is now a Floridian, I realize he hails from New York, but now he's a Floridian, and he picks another Floridian, so that he's doubling down on a single state, as opposed to somebody from a swing state, or at least what was once a swing state in Ohio, I think it's very much in play. But I guess there's nobody in Georgia that he's out to get. How about South Carolina? Could he possibly pull somebody from there? There are a lot of states that he could possibly make not swing states by picking somebody from that state. Well, Senator Tim Scott has said to be in contention, but maybe just fell out of the top. Maybe they're down to the top three, and there's Tim Scott at number four. But Lindsey Graham, the other senator from South Carolina, has been apparently lobbying aggressively for Tim Scott to be the running mate. And then there's some speculation that maybe Donald Trump is waiting a bit because he wants to see who's going to be the Democratic ticket, especially this past two weeks with a lot of calls for Joe Biden to step aside. Maybe he's waiting there. Maybe he's just trying to cause some drama for the political convention next week that really hasn't drawn a lot of headlines. And then this is my personal feeling, is that I think they thought they'd be worried about having his criminal sentencing this week, and then they dropped the VP name as a way to pivot. But that news changed last week with the Supreme Court decision. So now the sentencing in that New York case won't happen until September. So now it's more of a free calendar since that's not happening this week. Another thing I think that bodes in Marco Rubio's favor is Donald Trump. I think he very much likes a fighter. That's one of the things I think he didn't like about Mike Pence is Mike Pence was not really a fighter at all. And Marco Rubio, he's got some fire in the belly every time you hear him speak. He is very aggressive and he will get out there and he will state his position. It might not be far right. It might be more to the center, right? But he still is very fiery on and has a lot of energy. I think too that again, I'm throwing my pain out here again, I think Rubio is more interested in being Secretary of State would be my guess or if not, then this is just a pure play for 2028 because look, I don't think Trump and Rubio are, I mean, they really mixed it up in the last head to head, you know, the whole small hands business didn't seem like they were getting along. Then Marco obviously think changed, right, things changed in the past year or so. But yeah, I think Rubio may be more interested in Secretary of State. That's his area of expertise. Or he's saying, look, this is a one-term president. Let me latch on because, you know, whoever is the VP pick is a big step closer to being the 2028 GOP nominee of Trump wins in November. Well, Rory, we look forward to seeing what happens next and I know you will be right there to cover it. Rory O'Neill, thank you so much for joining us. 5280 exteriors James Hardy sighting is a low-maintenance sighting made primarily of cement that resist flame spread and repels wood-borne insects and woodpeckers. Through the month of July, you'll receive free rigid foam installation with the purchase of whole-house sighting. That's installing additional insulation behind your sighting for free, but only for the month of July. Call today for more details or visit 5280 exteriors.com, 5280 exteriors.com, a James Hardy preferred contractor, 5280 exteriors, the altitude of quality.