Trump Begins to Sour on 'Spotlight Hound' Kari Lake for VP [View all]

[Celerity]

Trump advisers say Kari Lake has been losing her footing with the former president because, in his eyes, she always wants attention.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-begins-to-sour-on-spotlight-hound-kari-lake-for-vp



When the annual Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll was taken this year, Kari Lake handily came in first to be Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick. It hasn’t gone so well for Lake since. The failed Arizona governor candidate has stumbled repeatedly, both with MAGA diehards and with the one person who matters most in the decision: Trump himself. And it’s with Trump aides that Lake has particularly lost her footing. “She’s a shameless, ruthless demagogue who wants power and will do whatever she has to do to get it,” a Trump adviser told The Daily Beast.

This adviser added that, in recent months, Trump has been less enthusiastic about Lake himself. Two Trump advisers who spoke to The Daily Beast said the heart of Trump’s frustration with Lake is that, in his eyes, she always wants attention. As one of the advisers put it, she’s a “spotlight hound.” While Lake does check off the running-mate box of being an extremely “loyal” backer of Trump, her ability to outshine the ex-president might just be her downfall. One of the two Trump advisers, who has spoken with Trump about the matter, said the former president doesn’t appreciate Lake “running around saying she should be VP.” “Tells you all you need to know that he did not make her his national spokeswoman,” the same adviser added. “She was an obvious choice.”

A third Trump adviser, who has likewise spoken to Trump about the matter, said they believe Trump “sees through her gambit for the vice presidency.” “You don’t have to be a wizard to figure that out,” this source continued. “She is a woman that knows what she wants and knows how to get it.” A Trumpworld operative agreed. “I think she is an effective surrogate, but I’m not sure she will be a VP pick,” this operative close to the Trump campaign said, suggesting instead that Lake could be a press secretary in a future administration. “But who knows?” they added. A spokesperson for Lake chalked up the drama to “pathetic attempts from Team DeSantis” to divide Trump from his biggest supporters. “MAGA world is more United [sic] than ever and ready to win big in 2024,” this spokesperson said.

But it’s not DeSantis operatives who say Lake is starting to overstay her welcome—it’s Trump’s own people. One Trump adviser pointed to a recent headline from People magazine that alleged the MAGA firebrand spends more time at Mar-a-Lago than Trump’s wife, Melania. “Kari Lake is there all the time,” a source told the publication. “There’s a suite there that she practically lives in.” A Trump spokesperson did not return The Daily Beast’s requests for comment on this story. Publicly, Lake has sidestepped questions on the possibility of being Trump’s running mate. “I don't think President Trump needs a vice president,” she said. “He is that powerful as a leader, he doesn’t really need anyone.” Her over-the-top adoration aside, Trump has continued to publicly support Lake. Trump apparently doesn’t ding her too much for her loss in the Arizona governor race, with one adviser saying Trump views Lake’s defeat as “similar” to his—with election fraud to blame.

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