Who will be the GOP candidate for Veep when Trump dumps Pence off the ticket?

News reports are that Vice President Mike Pence is quietly getting his machinery in place to pick up the baton if and when Trump drops it and run for president in 2020.

Trump's not going to like this and he very well may dump Pence off the ticket.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/us/politics/pence-trump-midterms.html

If so, who's he going to pick? Will accepting the VP nomination destroy that person's chances in 2024 if Trump loses re-election.?

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Ynotisay · M

With everything that's going on that's like a million years from now. There will be Mueller report out by then. Everything could be different in a couple of years. But yeah...I could definitely see Trump dumping Pence. Any potential running mate would have to be a hard core Christian zealot though

What came to my mind initially when I heard about this was that there might be a Vice President open to the idea of looking in to the 25th Amendment. It has to originate with the VP and the majority of the President's Cabinet has to agree that he doesn't have the physical or mental capability to continue. Then both Houses of Congress vote. Trump has a lot of enemies. I'd love nothing more than to see them all grow a pair at once.

beckyromero · 36-40, F

@Ynotisay [quote]Then both Houses of Congress vote.[/quote]

A two-thirds vote in each House would be needed to remove Trump in such a scenario. That's an even higher threshold than impeachment (two-third needed to convict in the Senate [i]after only a [b]majority[/b][/i] in House vote to impeach).

And what do you think would happen electorally to the Republicans who would side with Pence, given that basically half the country's voters would be left feeling betrayed?

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment is a Pandora's Box.

There is also the danger that a president who feared a vice president was plotting against him could immediately fire cabinet officials he perceived to be as disloyal and replace them (acting secretaries) with loyalists.

Ynotisay · M

@beckyromero The way I'm justifying it in my own (hopeful) head is that Trump's behavior behind closed doors is so extreme, and so unstable, that they know things we don't. For all I know that dude is doing lines in the Oval Office.
The second thought speaks to the reality. One way loyalty is Trump's signature move. That's why he's gone through so many Cabinet members and kept those who are doing serious damage ie: Pruitt and Zinke.

beckyromero · 36-40, F

@Ynotisay [quote]One way loyalty is Trump's signature move.[/quote]

Exactly. Because of Section 4, he or someone in the future like him could be more likely to appoint extreme "yes" men and women, to the detriment of our country, to fend off any too-politically ambitious Veep.

Ynotisay · M

@beckyromero "In the future" is a good line. There's things taking place now I don't think anyone thought would even be part of the conversation in regards to a President.
Just like I don't think anyone anticipated a political party purposefully trying to take down a President like the GOP House did with Obama. It's uncharted territory. Reason #141 we need a rock steady person in office in 2020. Here's the slogan: Make America America Again.