Donald Trump knew what he had to do nearly eight years ago. As a political outsider, he played the smart card. Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, picked a stiff as his running mate, someone that, first, reassured the Republican establishment. That stiff was Mike Pence. No, no, no… Set aside hindsight. Pence was a solid choice in July 2016.

Trump wanted to build a Team of Rivals. Pence was meant as a bridge to the Ryans and McConnells and the broader D.C. establishment. That move failed bigly. The establishment didn’t want a bridge. Accommodation? Nah, unless Trump sold his soul.

Now it’s 2024. Trump doesn’t owe the rotting establishment a blessed thing -- other than payback (alternatively called justice). His veep pick this go-round won’t have anything to do with making nice to D.C. lifers. Trump has been emancipated by the very elites who have worked overtime to trip him up and destroy him. The irony is richer than Mark Zuckerberg.

What scares elites is that Trump as 47 would be “one and done.” His 48-month lease on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would expire at high noon on January 20, 2029, no exceptions. No looking ahead to a second term. No worrying about reelection. Trump unleashed makes elites tremble.

Of course, Trump has to get elected. Given the crummy state of the nation and Biden’s feebleness and corruption, Trump wins a fair fight. But the fight coming will be anything but fair, that we know. We’re in for a heckuva brouhaha. Victory isn’t guaranteed.

Last Sunday, Trump downplayed who he’d pick as his running mate. He told Fox News’ Brett Baier (via The Hill) that “People won’t be that surprised.” Of course, Trump knows a wee bit about marketing. Is it possible that he’s underselling? Everything is timing, so maybe Trump is planning a surprise.

Trump also said: “Well, it’s [the VP pick] never really had that much of an effect on an election, which is an amazing thing, both election and primary.”

True that mostly, particularly when Trump is centerstage. Trump rivets. The man is a phenomenon in politics. Otherwise, voters are wondering if the ‘24 elections explode. It’s kind of a morbid fascination. Add to the mix the establishment’s fiendish attempts to railroad 45. If lawfare doesn’t work, the elites will hatch other schemes to try to waylay Trump. By comparison, a VP pick may seem incidental, but it’s not, not this go-round.

In fact, for Democrats, the veep choice wasn’t an afterthought in 2020. Cast your mind back four years. Elites insisted that addled Joe Biden run with acid-tongued, birdbrained Kamala Harris. She’s of-color and identifies as female, though that ranks lower than trans, nonetheless… Brains, talent, temperament? Small stuff.

If Biden is incapacitated or dies, does anyone this side of box checking progressives and googly-eyed suburban women believe that President Kamala would imperil the Republic?

Reports the Guardian: a new book out on January 24 quotes a top-level Harris 2020 campaign staffer as saying, “This person [Harris] should not be president of the United States.”

No gray area there.

Plenty of former Harris staffers have poor-mouthed Kamala. SFGATE, December 6, 2021, quotes an ex-staffer as saying: "With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So you’re constantly sort of propping up a bully and it’s not really clear why."

What are the chances that Trump picks an incompetent, poorly dispositioned, and insincere running mate? He’s already poured cold water on Nikki Haley. A good bet is zero.

Will Trump choose someone who’s young enough and vigorous?

Trump, like Biden, is an old guy. Come swearing-in day, he’ll be seventy-eight. Unlike Biden, nothing suggests that Trump is unfit to serve. We should pray we’re in Trump’s shape, physically and mentally, when we’re in our late 70s. But facts are facts. People Trump’s age can decline fast or just up and die.

So, Trump needs a running mate in his or her prime -- or close enough. Health? No room for doubts. Oh, and definitely no low-energy type.

Beyond that, what?

If Trump wins, he’ll face monster challenges. He’s got to get the nation back on the rails. Fixing the economy, border, and diffusing tensions overseas are priorities. Tackling any one of those issues would be a tall order for most presidents. But does anyone think Trump isn’t up to the challenge?

Yet there’s a remaining challenge that overshadows the others.

For Trump to be an historic president – as in Mt. Rushmore great -- he’ll need to be a change agent on the order of Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s New Deal gave a big push to big government. Trump’s push needs to be in the other direction.

Massively overhauling the federal leviathan -- ousting corrupt players, creating new bulwarks to guard citizens’ rights, and reducing Uncle Sam’s footprint -- are legacy making stuff. The era of big -- incestuous, crony, and corrupt -- government is over, said weaselly Bill Clinton. But it wasn’t. Trump’s greatness would rest in his sealing the deal.

The Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is creating a plentitude of blueprints for outsized reforms. The plans will be ready.

Trump’s running mate has to be shoulder-to-shoulder in the trenches with him. No summer soldier or sunshine patriot wanted. Pushing an historic reform agenda will invite all sorts of blowback from the establishment. Trump’s veep better hold up under fire. The elites would be fighting for their power and prerogatives, and they’ll fight like wildcats.

Should Trump fall, his vice president will need to pick up the flag and advance.

If Trump is elected, elites will rue the day they screwed him out of his second term. A second consecutive term may have been about as uneventful as most others. Grover Clevelanding Trump liberates him. Unintended consequences can be a bitch.

A second first term for Trump won’t be much about picking up where he left off.

The betting is that Trump will strive to make history. He’ll want to forge a legacy that adds him to Mt. Rushmore. To help him do that, he’ll benefit from a vice president as passionate about making history as he is.

Will Trump surprise us with an unexpected veep choice? Well, if he does, I’ll go with Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s talked about lately as vice presidential timber. Some, though, think he’s too green. Others believe he’s too new to the conservative world to be trusted. But another candidate was new to the conservative world in 2016, and he became president.

On the campaign trail, Ramaswamy demonstrated toughness, adroitness, and a wicked talent for communications and debate that’s sorely needed among Republicans. At thirty-eight, he has the chops to appeal to younger voters. Like Trump, he’s a successful entrepreneur. He’s a next generation conservative, and that would complement Trump smartly. Ramaswamy is an America First stalwart. He wasn’t shy to declare that our liberties are endangered by power-hungry elites.

So, does Trump go bold or go safe? Will his selection be a Teddy Roosevelt or a William Howard Taft? What do you think?

J. Robert Smith can be found regularly at Gab @JRobertSmith. He also blogs occasionally at Flyover. He’s back at X. His handle is @JRobertSmith1.

Image: U.S. Department of State