Trump Ally Warns, VP Pick Must Be Ready for 'Dramatically Different Race'

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and an ally to Donald Trump, warned on Sunday that the former president's running mate must be ready for a "dramatically different race" if Vice President Kamala Harris replaces President Joe Biden in this year's election.

After Biden's dismal debate performance against Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, in Atlanta last month, there have been growing calls for the president to drop out of the race and for another prominent Democrat, such as Harris, to become the party's nominee. However, Biden has vowed to stay in the race and Harris has made it clear that she fully supports him.

Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, have faced concerns about their age, however, Biden failed to quell those concerns during the debate after he appeared to lose his train of thought at times and stumbled in his responses. Biden's team later said he had a cold and was suffering from jet lag.

Last month's debate has since sparked renewed speculation about who Trump's vice-presidential pick could be leading to several prominent names being thrown in the mix.

In an appearance on CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday, Graham spoke about Trump's potential running mate picks as he added that any candidate would need to be ready for a "dramatically different race" if Harris were to replace Biden.

"I believe before this is all said and done that President Biden most likely will be replaced and Kamala Harris is going to be very vigorous...But if I were [former] President Trump, I would make sure I pick somebody that could add value in 2024, expand the map, prosecute the case against the liberals...I'm hoping Trump is looking for a VP pick that cannot only carry on the American first agenda after he leaves, but also win in 2024," the senator said.

He added: "I think the VP pick by both parties, if Biden steps down, Harris is going to have to pick somebody to help her. If she does become the nominee, this is a dramatically different race than it is right now today. I hope people are thinking about that on our side."

Newsweek has reached out to Graham's office as well as Trump's and Biden's campaign via email for comment.

When asked who should Trump's potential running mate be, Graham named several prominent political figures such as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Republican Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.

"Well there's three people being talked about. Burgum, solid as a rock in North Dakota. J.D. Vance is aligned with [former] President Trump in many ways [and] he could be a good wingman. [Senator] Marco Rubio, you got a problem in Florida. I think he's a very articulate conservative that could help [former] President Trump enormously. There's somebody not being talked about that should be, in my view, is [Governor Glenn] Youngkin from Virginia. If we win Virginia, we win, it is over," Graham said.

Trump has given no real indication of who his vice president pick could be, beyond offering small heaps of praise to certain people and ruling out any chance he would pick former Vice President Mike Pence again after their relationship fell apart in the wake of the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump has said he will likely pick his vice president choice close to the Republican National Convention in July.

This is not the first time Graham has pointed toward the hypothetical scenario that Harris replaces Biden as he spoke about who she picks as her vice president could have a huge impact.

"The policy debate doesn't change, the capabilities of the candidate changes—all the problems associated with a declining Biden physically and mentally go away. If she picks a governor from Pennsylvania or Michigan, that changes the game," Graham told The Washington Post in an article published on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll conducted from July 1 to 5, found that only 42 percent of voters would strongly or somewhat support Harris for president if she were to replace Biden, while 50 percent would either strongly or somewhat oppose her. A total of 4,902 registered voters across seven swing states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan, were polled and there was a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage points.