Eager Potential Republican VP Byron Donalds Says He Could Step Into Trump’s Place if Necessary | Video
Rep. Byron Donalds, reportedly among contenders to be Donald Trump’s vice president, is ready to step into the role of president if needed, he told “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“Well, I think if you’re going to step into that job, it’s obviously the toughest job, the biggest job, not just in our politics, but frankly, in the world,” Donalds said. “Look, I think that I would have an ability to step in.”
“I’m actually pretty intelligent. I can sift through issues really, really well,” he continued. The role of vice president, he added, is “about judgement” and “logic streams.”
“And then you cannot discount the fact that you would have a lot of people who are very qualified to be around to help you do that job,” Donalds said, “and do what’s in the best interest of the American people. Do I believe in myself? 100% I do. And, so, you know, we’ll see what President Trump decides. I’m going to support whatever he does.”
Donalds was appearing on behalf of the Trump campaign, though his emphasis on being able to step into the position could be seen as a problem as Trump insiders have reportedly noted that he’s looking for a VP who doesn’t overshadow him.
He insisted elsewhere in the conversation that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson doesn’t have the authority to overturn Trump’s recent fraud conviction. But he believes Congress could step in on behalf of Trump and against the New York jurisdiction in Manhattan that convicted him.
“Congress does fund a lot of jurisdictions around the country, and if there is a jurisdiction that takes federal money and it does not also protect the constitutional rights of all Americans, whether that’s President Trump or any other American, they shouldn’t receive federal funds,” he asserted.
“I think that’s something that every American would agree with, and you do have to understand President Trump’s frustration,” Donalds continued. “What happened in lower Manhattan was a violation of his constitutional rights. They didn’t even identify the ‘crime’ quote, unquote, until the every end of the process, which is a violation of constitutional norms. Judge Merchan did not do that. And so yes, he’s frustrated. Any American would be frustrated.”
In April 2023, the Manhattan DA charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The crime is typically a misdemeanor charge but was upgraded to a felony because the prosecution suspected Trump falsified the records to cover up a second, underlying crime — that he spent election funds to help himself by making a hush money payment to adult entertainment star Stormy Daniels. But identifying that crime wasn’t required in order for the jury to convict Trump of the charge that he falsified records.
Guest anchor Peter Alexander noted that Trump was “indicted by a grand jury of New Yorkers” in the state case and that the former president had both legal representation and the right to appeal. The journalist then asked, “Why not just let the judicial process play out?”
Donalds wasn’t interested in that line of questioning. “In the original indictment, they never identified an underlying crime,” he said. “Under our Bill of Rights, under our rule of law, a defendant is entitled to know what he’s being charged with. Donald Trump was never afforded that ability, so how can his legal team prepare a defense if you don’t even know what the actual crime is?”
“That is why what happened in lower Manhattan was so terrible,” Donalds continued. “And the only time the prosecution could even assert a crime was at the end of the case in closing arguments. You’re not allowed to do that. Every judge knows this. This is why everybody believes this is going to be overturned on appeal, but it is meant to interfere with the presidential election. That’s the problem.”
You can watch the full interview with Rep. Donalds in the video at the top of this story.
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