Donald Trump Loses Enthusiasm for ‘Spotlight Hound’ Kari Lake: “Not Sure She’ll Be a VP Pick”

Kari Lake easily won this year's straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference to become Donald Trump's choice for vice president. Since then, things haven't gone well for Lake. The unsuccessful Arizona governor candidate has consistently failed to win over both MAGA zealots and the one person who matters the most in the outcome: Trump himself. Lake has particularly lost her footing among Trump's advisers. “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 also mentioned that Trump has been less enthused lately about Lake. Two Trump advisers who talked to The Daily Beast revealed that Lake's constant need for attention is at the root of Trump's annoyance with her. The adviser went on to call her a “spotlight hound.” 

Although Lake does fit the running-mate mold of being a very “loyal” supporter of Trump, her tendency to outshine the former president may prove to be her undoing. One of the two Trump advisers who has spoken to Trump about the situation claimed that the former president doesn't like Lake “running around saying she should be VP.”

The same adviser added, “Tells you all you need to know that he did not make her his national spokeswoman. She was an obvious choice.” Another Trump associate who has also discussed the situation with the former president believes that Trump “sees through her” bid 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 close to the Trump campaign said, “I think she is an effective surrogate, but I’m not sure she will be a VP pick.”  The source suggested instead that Lake could be a press secretary in a future administration.

In the media, Lake has avoided inquiries about the prospect of serving as Trump's running mate. She said, “I don't think President Trump needs a vice president. He is that powerful as a leader, he doesn’t really need anyone.”

Some sources suggested that, despite Lake losing footing among his followers, Trump has continued to support Lake. One aide claimed that Trump considers Lake's failure as "similar" to his, with election fraud to blame, and that he doesn't criticize her too harshly for losing the race for governor of Arizona. They said, “He believes that Kari Lake’s election situation mirrors his own. And in fact, he believes one of the reasons why he’s in the situation he is, is the same reason Kari Lake is in the situation she is in. He believes she should be governor as much as he believes he should be president.”