Conservative Bill Kristol thinks Donald Trump will drop Mike Pence from the Republican ticket in an attempt to steal the Democratic National Convention’s thunder.
The veteran commentator linked the President’s decision not to throw out the first pitch at the Yankees game in New York next month.
“Because of my strong focus on the China Virus, including scheduled meetings on Vaccines, our economy and much else, I won’t be able to be in New York to throw out the opening pitch for the Yankees on August 15th,” Trump tweeted on Sunday.
Aug. 15 is about when Trump will announce he’s replacing Pence with Haley or someone else. The timing would be intended to steal the spotlight from the Democratic convention which is the next week. https://t.co/3w4vAfdaOr
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— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) July 26, 2020
“We will make it later in the season!”
Kristol saw an ulterior motive in this cancellation and was especially interested in the timing of the Yankees’ game and what it could mean for the news cycle.
“Aug. 15 is about when Trump will announce he’s replacing Pence with Haley or someone else,” Kristol tweeted.
“The timing would be intended to steal the spotlight from the Democratic convention which is the next week.”
The idea that Trump will drop Pence and replace him with someone more “exciting” for the Republican base has been floated before, including by prominent anti-Trump conservatives.
Though Kristol’s comments are at best informed speculation, Trump has had an uneasy relationship with Pence and his campaign is reportedly floundering amid collapsing poll numbers.
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
