Donald Trump’s pick of J.D. Vance as his Vice President looked a lot better when the undercard was Vance vs Kamala Harris. Vance would also have wiped the floor with Harris at the debate and on the campaign trail. Vance is smart and articulate; Kamala Harris is weird and oddly insecure. Vance, however, isn’t a pick who significantly expands Donald Trump’s potential electoral map. Against whoever Harris’s VP pick will be, Vance doesn’t hold the same advantage. He’s a smart guy. Understands policy and people. Vance will hold his own, no doubt, but it won’t be the same wipeout against Mark Kelly, Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Witmer, or Gavin Newsom that Vance would have been able to deliver against Harris. Other names that might be considered fall into the same boat.
Harris is also a tougher opponent for Donald Trump at the top of the ticket than Biden was, if not by much. There is one thing Trump can do right now to separate himself and regain a stronger hand in the race: name a cabinet and senior staff of all-stars, and do it now. Harris’ VP pick will be chosen for electoral purposes while her leadership team – as with both Obama’s and Biden’s – will be filled with ideologues chosen to satiate specific identity groups within the Democrat base. They’ll also be incompetent. Trump should take the opposite tack and put forward a team of leaders with tremendous credibility in their areas of expertise, maybe a team like this:
Secretary of State: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio
Rubio allays the fears of traditional Republicans concerned with America’s declining role in the world and the rise of China. Rubio balances Trump’s policies on foreign trade and global engagement.
Attorney General: Jason Miyares, Virginia
Virginia AG Miyares is the first Hispanic statewide officeholder in Virginia. Miyares mother immigrated from Cuba to the U.S. seeking to escape communist rule. Miyares is a popular figure in a state Trump needs help with, but he’s also an accomplished attorney and prosecutor. Critically, he’s never been part of the federal Department of Justice which he would oversee, and isn’t tainted by the politicized actions of federal law enforcement in recent years.
Homeland: U.S. Senator Rand Paul
Paul arrived in D.C. as a firebrand small “L” libertarian, but has evolved into one of the most thoughtful and accomplished Senators in the building. He’s also the ranking Republican member of the Senate Homeland Security committee. Paul maintains enough of his libertarian roots that voters could rest assured he would actively seek to limit the unconstitutional spying and censorship programs which have propagated throughout the U.S. government, while still understanding the need to robust security to address foreign threats and terrorist organizations.
Secretary of Defense: Representative Mike Walz, Florida
The first Green Beret elected to Congress, Walz deployed for multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa. Walz is also a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and currently serves as a Colonel in the Army National Guard. Previously served as policy advisor to two prior Secretaries of Defense, and as the President’s counterterrorism advisor at the start of Trump’s first term.
Secretary of Commerce: Robert Unanue, CEO Goya Foods
Grocery stores and food suppliers are at the epicenter of the still-ongoing supply chain crisis and inflation. Unanue can be tasked at finally untangling the mess and continuing Trump’s efforts to re-shore and near-shore critical manufacturing and supply line industries, and developing workforce skills to meet real-world needs.
Health & Human Services: U.S. Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina
Scott is a member of the Committee Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Scott also has experience serving at the local and state levels, having previously been a member of the Charleston County Council, and South Carolina State General Assembly. As such, Scott understands the intersection between federal programs, and their deployment at the state and local level – a tangled web of inefficiency, misspent tax dollars, and undelivered promises – which, if it was ever unraveled, would vastly improve the results of government spending on housing, homelessness, and low-income medical support programs.
Veterans Affairs: Representative Wesley Hunt, Texas
A graduate of West Point and former Apache helicopter pilot, Hunt was raised in a military family that has seen the VA’s deficiencies up close. He also has twin Master’s degree in Public Administration and Business Administration from Cornell, and understands the pitfalls of bureaucratic management vs the private sector.
I will post a second column with my picks for the remaining cabinet positions and some other top potential Trump employees in a day or so, but what do you think? Who would be your picks?
Note: the opinions expressed herein are those of Sam Stone only and not his co-host Chuck Warren or Breaking Battlegrounds’ staff.
