Trump Went Backsies On VP Offer To Christie

The fantasy presidential ticket that was too spicy for this world came closer to being a reality than we may have previously realized. The New York Post reported Sunday that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump offered the vice presidential spot to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and then withdrew the offer after Trump’s advisors (and his children) protested, throwing their support behind Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

It’s almost too beautiful and terrible to imagine — a joint ticket between two hothead blowhards known for running their mouths right into brick walls. In many ways, Christie seems to be the better fit for the Trump ticket, with his combative rhetoric and disregard for "political correctness." According to reports, Christie made his final push for the VP job on July 12, and, according to The New York Post’s source, “Trump said, ‘Yeah, sure, I’m giving it to you.’”

The next day, Trump was scheduled to meet with Pence in Indianapolis and then fly back to New York, but according to The New York Post, then-campaign-manager and Trump temperer Paul Manafort told Trump that his plane needed maintenance, forcing the candidate to stay in Indiana another night. Between Pence making a plea for the job and Trump’s own team making the case against Christie, they changed the candidate’s mind.

While this revelation will be unlikely to change many voters’ minds, I believe it does show Trump 2016 as the ramshackle, runaway mine cart of a campaign that it is. Still, that Trump’s better angels — which appear to have included his children — had to intervene to change his mind is a sign of just how close a Trump/Christie circus was to reality. Imagine, if you will, a vice presidential debate which starred the Twisty Tongue of Trenton and not the calm, truth-avoiding reassurances of Mike Pence.

In a strange twist, though, Christie may appear to be the victim in this situation. Separate reporting from CBS News suggests that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner nixed Christie’s spot on the ticket. “It all goes back to [Kushner’s] dad being prosecuted by Christie,” a source said. Thanks to Christie, Jared’s father Charles spent 14 months in prison in 2009 for witness tampering, tax evasion, and illegal campaign donations.

Ultimately, Christie’s involvement with the Bridgegate scandal would have turned him into a liability for the Trump campaign. Still, one can imagine the whiplash Christie must have, having gone so quickly from one of the most qualified Republicans for the presidency to Donald Trump’s second choice for VP. It almost makes you feel sorry for the guy.