LARRY KUDLOW: Trump will bring strength, prosperity and opportunity

Former President Trump seemed to suggest today that he will name his vice presidential running mate at the Milwaukee convention next week. 

Mr. Trump made major important headlines when he announced his policy platform this past Monday — a week before the convention. It's the growthiest Republican platform since Ronald Reagan 44 years ago. 

In between last Monday and the opening of the GOP convention this coming Monday is a lot of dog-chasing-tail reporters running down blind alleys, Hollywood stars frantically looking to reapply their makeup — in other words, a whole lot of nothing-burger, gobbledygook — all about running Joe Biden out of the Democratic Party. 

It has come to nothing, and we already know what a left-wing, big government socialist, progressive policy failure Mr. Biden is. That's the key point. 

Trump's platform was positive, optimistic, upbeat, growthier, problem-solving, border-closing — just chockful of common sense — that actually puts him as a mainstream centrist who can unify the country through his successes. 

So, his VP pick is important because it shows who will back up Mr. Trump. Qualified to be president, if heaven forbid they need to be, and someone who subscribes wholeheartedly to the campaign platform strategy that Mr. Trump has laid out. 

Now, today, on Clay Travis' radio show, here's what Mr. Trump said about the timing of the VP announcement.

LARRY KUDLOW: GIVE BIDEN THE UNION ELITES, WHILE TRUMP TAKES THE RANK-AND-FILE 

FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP: I’d love to do it during the convention… or just slightly before the convention, like Monday — love to do it Tuesday or Wednesday, actually.

So, although I am no wiser than anyone else on the planet regarding Mr. Trump's decision on a running mate, I do believe it could be boiled down to three very talented people, and just this week, I interviewed two of the three — Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. Marco Rubio, and earlier this summer, I interviewed Sen. JD Vance. 

So, on the eve of Mr. Trump's decision, here are some substantive policy clips from those three very talented people. First up, Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota.

GOV. DOUG BURGUM: I like to get stuff done. | MAGAnomics works for everybody because it's low interest rates. It's low regulation. It's low taxes. It's prosperity. It works for everybody. | In addition to the inflationary aspect of Biden's energy policies, it's also the factor behind the two wars. We're in two proxy wars, one with Russia and one with Iran, and those adversaries are funding those battles against us with the oil money they're getting.

Thank you, Mr. Burgum — and folks, here's some wisdom from Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. 

SEN. MARCO RUBIO: It’s a pro-growth platform. It's a pro-prosperity platform, and we want more Americans to have more money in their pocket at the end of the month after they pay their bills so they can save, so they can invest, so they can go on vacation, the things they can't do now because inflation is eating up their paycheck. | You put tariffs on foreign imports in these key sectors. Look, I'd like to do it on everything obviously, but that's not ideal economically. | I've changed because the issue has changed. The problem has changed. | This is not immigration. This is mass migration. It's uncontrolled, it's chaotic.

Much appreciated from Sen. Marco Rubio, and finally, to our viewers, let me reintroduce Sen. JD Vance.

SEN. JD VANCE: Larry, I want to live in a country where people can get married, have children and actually put those, put that family in a home that they can afford. I want them to earn a wage that can support a family at a good job. | We've got to learn the lessons of the last 40 years. We allowed too much of our manufacturing to go overseas. It made our country weaker. | We've got to enforce our border, and that starts with a willingness to deport people who have broken our laws. If we can't do that, we don't have a country.

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Thanks very much to Sen. Vance — we appreciate it. We are blessed to have been able to interview all these candidates. 

Now, here's my key thought: In relation to current Vice President Kamala Harris, any one of these three gentlemen is vastly superior in knowledge, in personal achievement, in serious demeanor, in moral clarity, and in policy vision.

But Biden-Harris, linked closely to Sen. Bernie Sanders' socialism, gave us high inflation, an affordability crisis, shrinking kitchen tables, an illegal migrant wave leading to a criminal breakdown of public safety, an extremist and unfounded climate agenda, progressive prosecutors and their "criminals-first" lawfare campaign — by the way, a total flop when aimed against Mr. Trump — illegal student loan forgiveness, even pledges to pack the Supreme Court. 

All of this has failed. All of it is unpopular. Mr. Trump will bring strength, prosperity, opportunity, safety and a law-abiding agenda. It is the growthiest promise in 44 years, and it will unite the country. 

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow’s opening commentary on the July 12, 2024, edition of "Kudlow."