Retired Army Lt. General Michael Flynn is currently being vetted by Donald Trump to be his potential running mate for the November presidential election.
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Flynn, who recently served as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency is a last minute addition to Trump’s potential running mate list for the presidential election.
Donald Trump has shown increasing interest in Flynn because of his strength and knowledge of national security. Trump is pushing to have Flynn on the ticket because he believes he needs a “tough and steady” presence with him.
Flynn is a registered Democrat who is pro-choice on the matter of abortion rights, a position that is not popular among social conservatives. This reinforces the notion that Trump is his own man and not beholden to an exact political party policy platform like most candidates.
“Abortion, I think it’s a, I think for women, and these are difficult issues, but I think women have to be able to choose,” Flynn said.
During Trump’s election campaign, he has said that he is against abortion rights. Conservatives in the Republican party have been skeptical of Trump’s allegiance to the party’s traditional principles, especially social ones.
Flynn’s position on abortion could cost him the ticket as many of Trump’s advisers want to shore up concerns about Trump’s positions to the Republican base.
After Trump’s talks with GOP lawmakers last Thursday at Capitol Hill, he is more open to having a non-politician at his side now more than ever.
“All I would say is that I have been honored to serve my country for the past three decades and look forward to serving in other ways now that I am retired from the US Army,” Flynn told the NY Post. “I’ve been a soldier too long to refuse to entertain any request from a potential commander in chief.”
Flynn is a fierce critic of the Obama administration and in 2014, was forced out of his position as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency for noting the rising jihadi threat.
In recent months, Flynn has worked with Donald Trump as one of his advisers and has said that Trump has “responsible leadership” to serve as president.
