Joe Biden hasn't yet announced his choice for a running mate, but if Donald Trump's team was doing the picking, its choice would be former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice.
Rice is seen by many as the deep-state enemy who would fire up the president's base for several reasons, reports Politico, including accusations that she revealed the identities of key Trump associates in 2016 after they turned up during surveillance of foreign officials.
"She is absolutely our No. 1 draft pick,” a Trump campaign official said.
Trump's backers also accuse Rice of covering crimes for former President Barack Obama and for Hillary Clinton. Back in 2012, she was accused of misleading Americans after announcing on television that deadly attacks in Benghazi, Libya, had occurred in protest over an anti-Muslim video, which was proven to be wrong.
Fox News' Tucker Carlson Monday opened his show talking about Rice's role in the news about the attacks, and former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who is now a contributor on the network, said he couldn't think of anyone "more polarizing who would fire up the base" than Rice. "They know her, and they don't like her."
In addition to Rice, other top contenders for Biden's running mate appear to be Rep. Karen Bass and Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Tammy Duckworth.
An outside Trump adviser, however, has called Rice the "most target-rich environment," but many Democrats say the attacks against Rice are outdated and Americans have more current issues to worry about, including the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, Republican strategist John Feehery said he does not think adding Rice to the Biden ticket will help Trump as much as they think, and the main thing the president needs to talk about is getting the economy going.
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh, meanwhile, said Tuesday that it does not matter who Biden picks, as all his potential running mates "reside on the far left and will continue to use him as an empty vessel to fill with their radical agenda."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.