On Trump’s Admitted Surprise at Biden’s Selection of Harris for VP

Gabriel Sherman, reporting for Vanity Fair:

Donald Trump didn’t expect Joe Biden to pick Kamala Harris as his running mate. “He thought Biden would choose Karen Bass,” a Republican briefed on Trump’s thinking said. Trump’s view, according to sources close to the White House, was that Biden would prefer a candidate with Bass’s low national profile and one who wouldn’t outshine him.

Trump himself publicly admitted to being surprised Biden chose Harris, on the grounds that she challenged Biden vigorously when she was competing against him for the nomination. Some leaders surround themselves with yes-men who will only tell them what they want to hear. Others surround themselves with independent thinkers who will offer their unvarnished opinion and advice. Trump should be pictured in the dictionary next to the entry for projection, so of course he expected Biden to choose how he himself chose.

Rightfully so, many are pointing to Biden’s choice, and Trump’s professed surprise at that choice, as clear indications of the profound temperamental differences between them.

I would just like to point out what this must be like to observe if you’re Mike Pence, knowing that Trump chose you because he thinks you’re a low-watt bulb with as much flavor as a chewed up piece of gum.

★ Friday, 14 August 2020