Trump keeps his running mate a mystery

NEWS AND OPINION:

Those who were hoping former President Donald Trump would reveal the identity of his 2024 running mate sooner rather than later must have a little patience. When will Mr. Trump make the announcement?

“I’ll make it close to the convention,” he told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday.

“You know, it used to be picked during the convention. And it made the convention, frankly, more interesting. The pick used to be during the convention. That’s what I’d like to do,” Mr. Trump continued.

“But now, with modern technology — if you can believe it — it’s like everything else. Voting used to be better with all paper ballots. I mean, with modern technologies, it makes it easier if you pick before the convention. But I’d love to be the old-fashioned way and do it during the convention,” he continued.

“All right. Make the final pick there. You’ll make that choice. Mr. President, thanks so much,” Mr. Kilmeade replied.

Mr. Trump’s campaign, incidentally, also addressed another possibility in a brief “alert” emailed to Inside the Beltway, exclamation points and all.

“Joe Biden is dropping out of the race! You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. It can happen at any moment!” the statement declared.

PLAY TIME

Have you heard of N/A?

This is actually the title of a current Broadway play. The two letters, according to one source, stand for two well-known lawmakers: Reps. Nancy Pelosi of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

“The world premiere of Mario Correa’s new play ’N/A,’ which officially opened Off-Broadway at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater June 23, has extended through September 1,” said Playbill, a venerable publication covering the New York theater scene since 1884.

“Holland Taylor and Ana Villafañn lead the cast as N and A, respectively, the first female speaker of the house and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. The work is inspired by unspecified real people and events, though it feels safe to assume that these characters have more than a passing connection to Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, based on character descriptions and the show’s own poster,” Playbill reported.

“N/A is a whip-smart battle of wills — and wits — between N, the first woman Speaker of the House, and A, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Inspired by real people and events, this riveting two-hander illuminates the person whom many consider the most powerful woman in American history … and the once-in-a-generation political talent who defied her,” notes a description of production from the play’s official website — NAthePlay.com.

PAYING ATTENTION

The public continues to mull over the debate between President Biden and former President Donald Trump, carried live by CNN on June 27.

“Ever since a less-than-stellar debate night against Donald Trump at the end of June, there have been growing concerns about Joe Biden’s age in running for a second term as President, with many very public calls for him to drop out of the race entirely. This theme has received a lot of interest from both the media and the public, with more than 24,000 articles written on the topic, and more than a million engagements with those articles,” according to NewsWhip, a media monitoring platform that analyzes web and social media data in real time.

A TAXING SITUATION

So which lawmakers have taxpayers in mind? The National Taxpayers Union has the answer.

Each year, the nonpartisan group offers a yearly evaluation of which lawmakers and their approach to tax matters. The latest results have arrived.

“National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has released its annual report card for the first session of the 118th Congress of the United States. In 2023, just 3 senators and 38 members of the House of Representatives earned an ‘A’ grade from NTU for their voting records on fiscal issues, thereby earning these members the Taxpayers’ Friend Award for their steadfast dedication to taxpayer interests,” the organization said in a statement.

“NTU’s rating system is carefully crafted to assess the voting history of members on matters of sound fiscal policy. Legislators are evaluated annually on every roll call vote that impacts taxes, spending, trade, and regulatory policies. The NTU rating remains the sole system that includes every roll call vote affecting taxpayers (274 votes in both chambers last year), utilizing a sophisticated evaluation process. Scores can range between zero and 100,” the group said.

“It is essential for Americans to be informed as to how their elected officials vote, not just what they say. Average citizens and families need to make fiscally sound decisions and we expect nothing less from Congress,” said Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union, also in a statement.

“Average citizens and families need to make fiscally sound decisions and we expected nothing less from Congress. NTU’s rating holds our lawmakers accountable, and we are grateful for those Taxpayers’ Friend award winners who made an extra effort to remember taxpayers when voting on the floor,” Mr. Sepp said.

So who are the most taxpayer-friendliest lawmakers of all?

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky led with a score of 87%, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah was next (85%) followed by Sens. Mike Braun of Indiana (81%) and John Cornyn of Texas (79%). All four senators are Republicans.

The top lawmakers on the House side, also all Republicans, were Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky (96%), Tom McClintock of California (92%), and Bob Good of Virginia, Eli Crane of Arizona, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Chip Roy of Texas, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

Each one of the seven lawmakers earned a grade of 91%. Find the complete list at ntu.org/ratecongress.

POLL DU JOUR

• 37% of U.S. voters say the economy is the most important issue facing the U.S.

• 20% say “threats to democracy” is the most important issue.

• 18% cite immigration.

• 6% cite health care.

• 5% cite access to abortion.

• 4% cite crime.

• 3% cite education.

• 3% cite housing affordability.

• 4% cite “something else.”

SOURCE: An Emerson College Polling national survey of 1,370 registered U.S. voters conducted by telephone and online July 7-8.

• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.