Trump picking JD Vance was a 'really bad decision' and he would have been better off with Nikki Haley, ex-Trump official says

• Trump's former staffer said that he would have been better off with Nikki Haley as his running mate.

• Anthony Scaramucci said he thought Trump made a "really bad decision" choosing JD Vance as his VP.

• However, Trump has publicly supported Vance, saying he's "doing a fantastic job."

Former President Donald Trump could've done much better than Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate, his former communications director said.

Speaking to CNN on Thursday, Anthony Scaramucci said that Trump stands a higher chance against Vice President Kamala Harris with Nikki Haley as his running mate.

"Vance is not doing a fantastic job. He knows that. We know that," Scaramucci said.

"But this was a really bad decision for him. As an example, if he had gone with someone like Nikki Haley, that would have really helped him, vis-à-vis going up against Vice President Harris," Scaramucci added.

Vance, per Scaramucci's assessment, also appears to be "very dull" and isn't "living up to expectations."

Trump has been supportive of his running mate. On a Thursday "Fox and Friends" interview, Trump was asked whether he was still "100% behind JD Vance."

Trump replied that Vance is "doing a fantastic job" and is "very well received."

However, CNN data reporter Harry Enten reports that Vance is the first vice presidential nominee since 1980 to have a net negative favorability rating following his party's convention.

It is still technically possible for Trump to replace Vance. But the last time a candidate did something like this was in 1972 when Democratic candidate George McGovern dropped his running mate, Sen. Thomas Eagleton of Missouri, after only 18 days together on the ticket.

Haley, South Carolina's former governor and the US ambassador to the United Nations under Trump's administration, ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. She dropped out of the race after Super Tuesday.

Trump dismissed her as a potential VP pick in May in a post on Truth Social.

"Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the V.P. slot, but I wish her well!" he wrote.

Haley gave him her "strong endorsement" at the Republican National Convention earlier this month.

Representatives for Haley and the Trump-Vance campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

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