Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci delved into the selection of Tim Walz as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate and also the strategies of both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the latest episode of The Rest Is Politics US podcast that aired Friday.
On Harris’ VP Pick: Walz is a “different beast” and Harris picked the right guy as her running mate, Scaramucci said in the podcast that he co-hosts with British journalist Katty Kay. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.), the runner-up for the selection, could have stolen attention from Harris, Scaramucci said.
Offering his take on Walz, Scaramucci said, “Tim Walz is a teacher, Tim Walz is a guy that likes mentoring people and staying in the back seat of the conversation, but he can also go on College Game Day on ESPN.”
The ex-White House aide said Walz is unlikely to upstage Harris. “He looks like your dad, he looks like your uncle, he’s apple pie, Chevrolet, hot dogs, America,” he said.
Why Trump’s Not Out There: Scaramucci said the Trump campaign should target the Democrats with “crime, socialism, border economy, these are the wrong people for America. That should be the Trump playbook,” he said.
He also offered his take on why Trump was not campaigning in the key swing states. “He picked [J.D.]Vance. He knows Vance was a terrible, terrible pick. He’s lighting people up inside his campaign right now about picking Vance,” Scaramucci said.
The SkyBridge Capital founder said Trump’s ego didn’t allow him to choose Nikki Haley as his running mate. A Trump-Haley combo could have put the former president well ahead, he said.
Harris’ Task Cut Out: Scaramucci said Trump’s campaign can’t be underestimated. “You can’t underestimate the political beast that is Donald Trump, and while it looks like it’s a little slow right now and is in disarray, they will come up with a narrative that’s quite formidable,” he said.
Scaramucci, however, pointed out that something is going on in the Harris campaign. “She could Obamacize Donald Trump,” he said. Scaramucci pointed out that the largest voting block in the U.S. is the registered voters who don’t vote. In 2008, Barack Obama went after these people and enlisted them as Democrats, he added.
“The Harris team is trying to come up with the jigsaw puzzle of how to do that for Kamala Harris and the question is, is she a political athlete capable of doing that now,” Scaramucci said.
If Harris can draw 5 million to 10 million of the 144 million people who are registered voters who do not vote, the race is over, he said.
“There’s a lot there for her to play with and she could Obamacize Trump and….the Trump people are very worried,” he added.
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