Last Tuesday, former President Donald Trump won 59 delegates in Georgia, 40 in Mississippi  and 43 in Washington. He also won 19 in Hawaii. Trump already had 1,075 GOP delegates and was well on his way to the magic number of 1,215 needed to become the Republican nominee for president of the United States in 2024. He didn’t really need Hawaii since the other three states put him over the top, at 1,217, but it was like a piece of the pineapple, so to speak.

Now that Trump has won his nomination, I think he needs to pick and announce his vice presidential  running mate. According to my research, his latest so-called “short list” has “grown like Topsy.” It now stands at a dozen or so, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem,  New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former Secretary  of State Mike Pompeo, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Georgia Rep. MarjorieTaylor Greene, Arizona  U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake and former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Each of these potential picks for Trump’s VP has his or her pros and cons for the job. However, job one for Trump is threefold: “Loyalty, Loyalty and Loyalty.”

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has won his party’s nomination for president in 2024. Unlike Trump, Biden has no “short list” challenge. Instead, he is going to dance with the one that brung him in 2020. Her name is Kamala Harris. And whether she is an asset or a liability for Biden this time around remains to be seen. As of Feb. 2024, 38 percent  of U.S. adults surveyed said they had a very unfavorable  opinion of her. Her ratings continue to plummet as 2024 presidential elections draw nearer. Harris is now viewed negatively by a combined 53 percent of registered  voters and positively by a combined 28 percent of voters.

That trend does not bode well for her or for Biden, come November.

Retired Army Colonel Thomas B. Vaughn may be reached at tbvbwmi@benlomand.net.