There are two qualities we know former President Donald Trump really looks for in people.
One is loyalty. The other is being a winner.
Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has failed in the second one. But she gets an A+ in the first category.
In the 2022 midterm elections, Trump’s handpicked candidates largely struggled. And several lost high-profile races. But according to Lake, who was picked by Trump and lost her race, the country needs him.
On Monday night, she tweeted, “We need him now, more than ever.”
The video includes various clips of Trump mixed with reaction shots from movies.
Mediaite notes the montage was originally made in 2020.
We need him now, more than ever. pic.twitter.com/c9aX7BhHC6
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) November 22, 2022
Before Election Day, commentators saw Lake as a rising star in the Republican Party and a potential vice presidential nominee or even presidential contender.
It seemed she had the potential to rapidly climb the ladder from a former news anchor to leader of the party overnight. But that was really dependent on her winning the gubernatorial election despite all the negative coverage aimed at her.
However, Lake, who was arguably the candidate most closely tied to Trump and his claim the 2020 election was stolen, failed to win her election bid.
While other candidates who questioned the 2020 election conceded their own election bids, Lake has declined to concede. Instead, she has vowed to launch legal challenges. She also made a pilgrimage to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Perhaps Lake just truly believes Trump is needed right now.
But her decision to stick by Trump as conservatives blame him over what they view as a blown election — even in spite of her own election loss — seems to be an attempt to stay in his good graces for the future.
And it seems to be working. Rather than posting attacks on Lake, he has claimed her election is “not over yet” and suggested it was “slowly, yet systematically, being drained away from her.” In other words, he is not throwing her under the bus as a loser. He’s treated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) with far more ire despite his double-digit win.
Now that Trump is officially running for president again, he will need to choose a running mate. And it seems unlikely he would offer the position to former Vice President Mike Pence.
So perhaps Lake is angling to be his next running mate.