Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake are both extremely desperate for quadruply indicted President Donald Trump to choose them as his running mate and are sniping at each other in private, according to a hilarious story in Rolling Stone. And it gets better: Sources close to Trump say neither fringe woman has any real shot at being his VP pick if he does end up being the nominee.
Greene and Lake may “present an image of calm unity” in public, but “behind the scenes, the two view one another with intense distrust and disdain, each seeing the other as direct competition for Trump’s political affections,” per the report. Tensions are extra high in the veepstakes because the women have similar ideologies to the campaign: They’re both competing in the very narrow “lane of election-denying, shameless Trump diehard who has emerged as a conspiracy-theory-slinging star among the conservative base.” One source called it a “death race.”
And both have been kissing Trump’s ass of late, with Greene comparing Trump to Jesus and Nelson Mandela (in an interview with her boyfriend) and Lake threatening violence from fellow NRA members if Trump goes to prison for any of his many crimes. Sources have been chattering that Lake wants to be VP and noted that she basically moved into Mar-a-Lago this summer.
Rolling Stone reports that Greene has been trash-talking Lake to the “MAGA elite” and conservative media circles. Greene—who has blamed wildfires on Jewish space lasers—even had the gall to say Lake isn’t “serious” enough to be VP. Greene has also privately called Lake a “grifter” and “scammer” who is “trying to keep riding Trump’s coattails because she lost, so she’s cozying up on the election-integrity messaging.” Lake has told confidants that she thinks Greene is leaking negative stories about her to the press.
Meanwhile, some Trump advisers have been telling reporters that he doesn’t like Lake very much—perhaps because she acts too much like him? “She’s a shameless, ruthless demagogue who wants power and will do whatever she has to do to get it,” one adviser told the Daily Beast. Two other advisors said Trump thinks Lake is a “spotlight hound” and he’s annoyed that she’s “running around saying she should be VP.” But—uh-oh—in mid-August, Marge, openly floated herself. She told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she hadn’t decided whether she’ll run for Senate because, she said, “I have a lot of things to think about. Am I going to be a part of President Trump’s Cabinet if he wins? Is it possible that I’ll be VP?”
Even if Trump doesn’t care for their thirst, he probably wouldn’t choose them anyway! Sources said that he’s talked about the pros and cons of both women but even Trump isn’t “stupid enough” to select Greene or Lake, as it could turn off independent and moderate voters he needs to win in a general election. (Trump does appear to be considering a female running mate, though, with other contenders reportedly including current 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.)
This pathetic pick-me battle could end in the coming weeks, however, if Lake decides to run for Senate in Arizona in the seat held by former Democrat Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). Sinema still hasn’t said whether she’s seeking re-election. We’ll be watching, popcorn in hand.