Kari Lake, Marjorie Taylor Greene bank on defending Trump to boost their political fortunes

Kari Lake greets guests before the start of an event hosted by former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Fla. As supporters awaited former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago after his Tuesday arraignment, Kari Lake walked into a ballroom of people cheering and chanting her name. Lake has emerged as one of the biggest political stars of Trump’s Republican Party and one of the loudest voices of the election denialism movement, which was sparked by the former president’s failed 2020 bid. The charges Trump faces have drawn near universal criticism from members of the GOP, including one of the former president’s sharpest detractors, Sen. Mitt Romney, who twice voted to convict Trump during impeachment trials. “He learned a lesson from Mike Pence, that the problem with some of these establishment guys is that they follow the Constitution.” At the same time, while Lake and Greene may appear to be auditioning to be Trump’s running mate, they are also solidifying their brands in real time, Longwell said. “It’s time for them to come and stand with President Trump, defend him, support him and stop this Democrat witch hunt and weaponization of government.” Greene declined to say whether other GOP candidates should drop out of the presidential race, saying that Trump “has been and always will be the front-runner.” As for who should be his vice president, Greene said, “that hasn’t been discussed.” “I don’t think he’s to that point yet,” she said.