Brody File Rates Donald Trump’s VP List: Introducing The 2016 Political-Evangelical Scale

So let’s go down this Trump VP search list shall we? We’re going to have a ratings system but instead of stars, we’re going to rate each one with Bibles to signify whether the pick will do much in Trump’s quest to help win over the all-important evangelical vote. We’ll also rate them in terms of what they bring to the political table as well. For that score, we’ll use the ever-popular Trump ‘Make America Great Again’ hats! (Oy-gevalt)

The ‘Evangelical Scale’:

1 Bible: Doesn’t move the needle. Evangelicals sitting on their hands in the pews

2 Bibles: Not horrible, not great. Generic. Kind of like a boring sermon.

3 Bibles: Good. Solid. A few ‘Amens’ and solid applause.

4 Bibles: Excellent: Fully charismatic reaction. Tambourines, flags, praising Jesus on knees.

The ‘Political Impact Scale’:

 1 Trump Hat: Bad, as in if you took off the hat you’d have an extremely bad hair day

2 Trump Hats: Just ok. Kind of like when Trump wears that hat with a suit. It’s not the best look but it works for him.

3 Trump Hats: Solid hat look. Kind of like if George Clooney was wearing this hat, which for the record would NEVER happen.

4 Trump Hats: Out of this world! Homerun! Think of it this way: This would be like the president of Mexico wearing a, “Make America Great Again” Hat on the border, hammer in hand while thanking Trump for building the wall.

OK here goes. The names below are ones that either Trump has mentioned (excluding Ivanka!) or campaign sources have floated. It’s not an exhaustive list but it gets the conversation started.

The Potential VP List:

Newt Gingrich: The Brody File has been saying for months and months (before the mainstream media started to pick this up) that Gingrich would probably be the VP choice. It makes plenty of sense. He’s got the political DC insider experience Trump wants and helps him with the conservative base of the party. Sure, Gingrich has flaws, who doesn’t? But he checks a lot of boxes including someone who will delight in taking on Clinton. He also will help attract additional older white blue-collar males to the voting booths across America. From an evangelical perspective, he and his wife Callista are heavily involved in producing documentaries about America’s Judeo-Christian heritage. Gingrich understands the significance of the changing culture around us and has close relationships within the evangelical community. It’s probably as close to a near perfect pick that Trump could make.

Newt Gingrich Rating:

4 Trump Hats

3 Bibles

Chris Christie: This could be a problem. While he helps among the rank and file establishment republican class (and that’s important), he doesn’t really have the grassroots conservative base appeal. He’s a bit too moderate for some and combining Christie and Trump may be way too much New York/New Jersey/East Coast chutzpah. From an evangelical perspective, he’s been solid on the pro-life issue but overall he doesn’t have the “street cred” with evangelicals that others do.

Chris Christie Rating:

2 Trump Hats

1 Bible

Mike Pence: He’s a sleeper pick but an excellent one. He checks a lot of boxes. The rank and file establishment crowd trusts him. The conservative base likes him a lot (even though the religious freedom law in Indiana saw his social conservative reputation get a bit tarnished). He’s not the flashiest guy in the world but he has that insider DC experience that Trump is looking for and has major respect from evangelical leaders who would get excited about this pick. 

Mike Pence Rating:

3 Trump Hats

4 Bibles

Mike Huckabee: His name has been out there even though currently he’s not showing up on any short list. But don’t be surprised if his name resurfaces. Huckabee would be the perfect attack dog against Hillary. He would do it in a, “bless your heart” sort of way which softens up Trump and brings more outward warmth and compassion to the ticket. Evangelicals (for the most part) love him and his, “God, guns, grits and Gravy” philosophy plays perfectly with Trump’s blue-collar appeal. To me, this would be the no-brainer pick because Trump needs someone who can make him look less rough around the edges. He’ll help with the female vote and does well with minority groups too.

Mike Huckabee Rating:

4 Trump Hats

4 Bibles

Jeff Sessions: Only political insiders know about Sessions so he won’t bring a lot of sizzle to the ticket but he’s popular with the conservative base. He’s the rare politician who’s been around for DC forever (a senator for 20 years) yet has never had the establishment label plastered to his forehead. That’s because he has one of the most conservative voting records. He’s rock solid on the cultural issues; on the issue of judges and taking a hard line on immigration is his bread and butter. He’s also respected and well liked on Capitol Hill, which would help Trump immensely.  Solid pick.

Jeff Sessions Rating:

3 Trump Hats

3 Bibles

Bob Corker: I’ve interviewed Bob Corker a number of times going back to his senate run ten years ago. Great guy and gets along with everybody. He’s smart as a tack and would no doubt be able to help Trump with GOP lawmakers. The drawback on Corker is that he’s more establishment and not really a guy that gets the grassroots excited. He’s a former businessman who excels on financial issues. It may be too much of an overlap with Trump. But look, the guy is chairman of the U.S. Foreign relations Committee which gives Trump some cover on challenges to some of his unorthodox GOP views when it comes to overseas intervention. On the evangelical front, he’s not a guy who evangelicals really see as, “one of them” on their issues. In the past, he’s voted to extend marriage benefits to same-sex couples. It’s just one example from a guy who really won’t move the needle much among evangelicals.

Bob Corker Rating:

2 Trump Hats

1 Bible

Joni Ernst: The senator from Iowa would be an intriguing pick. She’s new to politics but she’s quickly earned a reputation as a hard working serious conservative. She’s solid on most issues and has a great story to tell as a former military veteran and mom. She can help Trump on Capitol Hill as well. She hasn’t been vetted nationally so that could be an issue since the media will go after her hard but having a woman on the ticket is a major plus (no-duh). As for her evangelical roots, she’s as pro-life as they come and solid on all the issues. She doesn’t necessarily wear it on her sleeve as much as others do but evangelicals will be just fine with her.

Joni Ernst Rating:

3 Trump Hats

3 Bibles

John Thune: I’ve known John Thune for more than a decade. The guy is a solid conservative who has managed to climb into the leadership ranks. While technically he’d be considered establishment, his South Dakota roots keep him humbled and grounded so he hasn’t fallen out of love that much with the conservative base of the party. Having said that, Thune knows the, “art of the deal” on Capitol Hill so he’s ready to do what he needs to do to push legislation through. From an evangelical perspective, he’s very solid. He loves Jesus and isn’t ashamed to talk about it but he’s not overtly looking to chat it up on every occasion.  He’s well respected in the DC evangelical community so Trump would get a simple nod of approval if Thune was the guy. Long shot.

John Thune Rating:

2 Trump Hats

3 Bibles

Mary Fallin: She could be a dark horse pick. The two-term governor of Oklahoma has supported Trump enthusiastically for a couple months now and oh, by the way, she’s never lost an election, which I believe would make her a winner in trump’s eyes. But more to the point, she’s got executive experience, she’s a woman and she’s very down to earth and folksy which could soften Trump. She would have to deal with some issues including an approval rating as governor in the low 40’s. Evangelicals may be a bit concerned about her veto of a pro-life bill that would have made it a felony for a doctor to carry out an abortion. So there’s some work to be done but she’s a professing evangelical who attends a big mega-church in Oklahoma City. Overall, she’s been pleasing to evangelical leaders.

Mary Fallin Rating:

2 Trump Hats

3 Bibles

Sleeper Pick!

Donald Trump: He picks himself as VP because he figures this whole VP thing is overrated and is really just a waste of time. Plus, he knows he'll be fully satisfied with this choice.

Donald Trump Rating: 

Unlimited Trump Hats

Plenty of Bibles given to him by the evangelicals who love him all across America