Veep power In the hunt for Trump's running mate, only devotees need apply

The last Republican who occupied the job of US vice-president ended up the target of a violent mob calling for him to be hanged. Even so, as Donald Trump closes in on the Republican nomination for 2024, there is no shortage of contenders eager to be his deputy.

- David Smith

It is safe to assume that Mike Pence, who was Trump's running mate in 2016 and 2020, will not get the job this time. His refusal to comply with his boss's demand to overturn the last election caused a permanent rift and made Pence a perceived traitor and target of the January 6 insurrectionists.

Undeterred, Trump's campaign surrogates in the recent Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, both of which he won handily, have been trying to outdo each other with extravagant displays of fealty. "It's very clear he's holding these open auditions like it's The Apprentice," said Kurt Bardella, a Democratic strategist. "He will flirt with everyone. He will make them dance. They will all debase themselves and humiliate themselves and jockey for that spot."

When he first ran for president in 2016, Trump understood that he needed a vice-presidential pick who could help shore up support among Republican evangelicals and social conservatives, who were suspicious of the thrice-married reality TV star. Pence, the then Indiana governor and fierce social conservative, was from what Trump likes to call central casting.