Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany said on Sunday that Donald Trump must adopt a more appeasing tone and choose a fitting running mate to beat President Joe Biden. (Watch the video below.)
McEnany, who’s been accused of telling many lies on Trump’s behalf when she was the former president’s press secretary, praised remarks he made in New Hampshire earlier in the day, saying they were delivered with a “conciliatory tone”.
After GOP rival Ron DeSantis quit the race, the criminally indicted Trump praised the Florida governor’s campaign and said he appreciated his endorsement (as lukewarm as DeSantis’ words may have seemed). He also said he would retire his “Ron DeSanctimonious” nickname.
“That was a conciliatory tone,” McEnany said of Trump’s comments on The Big Weekend Show, which she co-hosts. “That reminds me of his victory speech in Iowa where he praised his opponents, praised his rivals. That’s the kind of tone he will need for the next nine months if he wants to prevail against Joe Biden.”
McEnany suggested Trump’s base will vote for him no matter what, so he has to muster support from other sources ― and that includes voters for his remaining GOP adversary, Nikki Haley.
“I think he [Trump] gets the DeSantis voter both in the primary and the general,” McEnany said. “The DeSantis voter tends to be a traditional conservative person of faith, and that naturally translates to Donald Trump. Where I think his challenge is both here and going forward into a general election, is winning over the Nikki Haley voter, winning over the establishment voter, winning over the independent, which is why I think that vice presidential pick is so important.”
“You must pick someone who helps to bring in that bloc because I believe the conservatives, the base, is going to come home, show up, rain or shine,” she continued. “You need the independent, you need the suburban women. You need that tone.”
A new CNN poll conducted before DeSantis’ departure showed Trump with an 11-point lead over Haley in New Hampshire’s primary on Tuesday. DeSantis pulled in just 6% of the vote.
Trump has said he already decided on a running mate but on Saturday he suggested his choice wasn’t so ironclad. He told Fox News that his selection has a “25% chance” of being the person he actually taps as his potential vice president.