He's not a CPMPLETE idiot after all

If he knows that Mike Pence is looking out for Mike Pence, then he's still got a little bit on the ball.  Or maybe Jared has been cluing him in.

President Trump’s post-midterm election news conference at the White House last week took a surprising turn when a reporter asked about locking down his 2020 ticket.

“Mike, will you be my running mate?” Mr. Trump asked Vice President Pence, who stood up, raised his hand, and nodded.

“Will you? Thank you. O.K., good,” the president said. “That was unexpected, but I feel very fine.”

But in private Mr. Trump is apparently not feeling so fine. In recent weeks, with his electoral prospects two years from now much on his mind, Mr. Trump has focused on the person who has most publicly tethered his fortunes to him. In one conversation after another he has asked aides and advisers a pointed question: Is Mike Pence loyal?

  NYT

It's the only thing that matters in the mob.

Mr. Trump has repeated the question so many times that he has alarmed some of his advisers. The president has not openly suggested dropping Mr. Pence from the ticket and picking another running mate, but the advisers say those kinds of questions usually indicate that he has grown irritated with someone.

No shit. Also, too, he's been known to pull the rug out from under people without warning. And he's publicly let it be known that he's thinking about stealing away Pence's chief of staff. He's not going to show his hand until it's too late for Pence to put together a team of his own to run against Trump.  Pence should consider himself forewarned.  (And maybe he's already putting that team together just in case.)

Within the White House, most people he has talked to have assured the president that Mr. Pence has been a committed soldier, engaging in activities that Mr. Trump has eschewed, such as traveling to Hawaii to receive the remains of veterans of the Korean War, or visiting parts of the globe that Mr. Trump has avoided.

Of course. He wouldn't actively have shown his hand already.

But some Trump advisers, primarily outside the White House, have suggested to him that while Mr. Pence remains loyal, he may have used up his utility. These advisers argue that Mr. Trump has forged his own relationship with evangelical voters, and that what he might benefit from more is a running mate who could help him with female voters, who disapprove of him in large numbers.

Sure. Pull a John McCain and find yourself a Sarah Palin. That worked out so well.

Others close to the president believe that asking about Mr. Pence’s loyalty is a proxy for asking about whether the vice president’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, is trustworthy. Mr. Trump has been considering making Mr. Ayers the White House chief of staff to replace John F. Kelly, the retired Marine general — a decision several White House officials say has been with the encouragement of his adult children.

[...]

Hogan Gidley, the deputy press secretary, disputed that Mr. Trump had any misgivings, saying, “The president absolutely supports the vice president and thinks he’s doing an incredible job helping to carry out the mission and policies of this administration.”

And we'll be waiting for the tweet that says the New York Times has put out another fake news report.

UPDATE 11/17:  No tweet yet, but...

President Trump on Saturday blasted a New York Times report that said he was privately questioning Vice President Pence's loyalty, calling it a "phony story."

Trump called Pence "100 percent loyal" and "a terrific person" while speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving for a trip to California.

“No I don't question his loyalty at all. He is 100 percent loyal. It was a phony story … a typical New York Times phony story," Trump told reporters.

“He is a trooper … I could not be happier," Trump added of Pence.

  The Hill

2 minutes later...

Oops, spoke too soon. He just tweeted:





Of course, Pence is saying the same thing. I think it's hilarious that they're both planning on leaving the other behind, but neither can afford to let the other one know (while both no doubt suspect).