Mike Pence put in a considerably better performance in his debate against Tim Kaine than Donald Trump did in his first bout with Hillary Clinton. This led to some speculation, fueled by a couple anonymous sources who supposedly know Trump, that this would piss off Trump even if it served his campaign well. Trump, after all, cannot be impressed with the widespread if predictable conservative commentary lamenting that it’s Trump instead of Pence atop the ticket. Still, it seemed like a stretch to believe that Trump, on net, would be unhappy with his vice presidential candidate performing well in a debate.
But the man could not help himself from throwing a dig or two Wednesday, to remind the public that he’s the alpha dog on whom the election has become a referendum. Doing this is obviously against Trump’s electoral interests, but most actions that pique Trump’s personal interest are against his electoral interests. At his first rally since the debate, on Wednesday afternoon in Henderson, Nevada, Trump congratulated the Indiana governor for his performance and, more interestingly, referred to him as his “first so-called choice.”
One operating theory in July held that former campaign chairman Paul Manafort had cornered Trump into selecting Pence, the “safe choice,” when Trump had really wanted to pick someone comical, like Chris Christie or Newt Gingrich. “First so-called choice” was a callback to that one news cycle. Trump does not forget news cycles.
Trump explained, further, that Pence’s competence in the debate served first as an example of Trump’s estimable faculties. “And last night America also got to look firsthand at my judgment,” he said, “and that was judgment.”
