Rupert Murdoch has some ideas for former President Donald Trump ahead of next week's Republican National Convention, and not the least of which is, according to a report, pick anyone except Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance for veep.
Murdoch has regularly called the MAGA leader the free world and intensely lobbied for Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, sources told NOTUS on Friday.
Murdoch reportedly tried to sabotage Vance — going so far as to send New York Post workers to Mar-a-Lago to trash the Ohio senator and stump for Burgum.
In fact, Murdoch's initial campaign was for "anyone but J.D.," NOTUS reported.
Read also: 'Maximally humiliated': GOP senator J.D. Vance said to be on fast track for public shaming
While the billionaire is open to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, in recent weeks he's leaned into Burgum, according to the report.
However, Murdoch and Trump reportedly aren't the coziest of friends.
“Rupert has always viewed Trump as subservient to him,” a Fox communications consultant told the news outlet. “And it bothers him. He’s not looking forward to another four years where he’ll have to kiss Trump’s a--. They don’t want Trump on Fox, so they get Burgum on there and groom him for the next four years and make him president. That’s his way of ending Trumpism.”
During the 2016 presidential race, the "Hillbilly Elegy" author Vance was a scathing critic of Donald Trump and argued that he would be terrible for the Republican Party if he won the election. He has since taken an ultra-MAGA turn and become a strident Trump supporter.
But Vance has taken a few shots this week. Mark Caputo, national political reporter for The Bulwark, reported that he may have cost himself the job because he has a healthy beard. Caputo, trying to hold back a laugh, told CNN that Trump prefers a clean-shaven look.
"Of all things that Donald Trump doesn't really like, it's facial hair," said Caputo. "If you notice, guys around him are clean-shaven."
And a biting op-ed published by The Guardian attacked Vance as a "faux populist" who favors style over substance.
