If Trump chooses Christie, the effectiveness of "crooked Hillary" goes out the window. Rightly or wrongly, the bridge scandal has totally destroyed his personal brand. Trump HAS to know this, but maybe his loyalty to Christie could get in the way of things. Nevertheless, if he makes that choice, I might have to rethink a lot of what I thought was true about Trump.
Gingrich is a less prima facie stupid choice, but he's been around for so long and is known well enough that he's a target for confirmation bias. The negatives a lot of people think of him won't be amenable to doing what Trump needs to do the most, and that's making himself seem less scary - a crucial thing right now. Something on that front needs to happen quickly.
Of the three, Sessions is the best. More calming and rational, and most people don't know him so he's relatively fresh. First impressions matter a lot (primacy effect), and he can work wonders in painting an entirely new picture.
That's just on those three. I haven't seen the other names that have come out yet.
Gingrich is a less prima facie stupid choice, but he's been around for so long and is known well enough that he's a target for confirmation bias. The negatives a lot of people think of him won't be amenable to doing what Trump needs to do the most, and that's making himself seem less scary - a crucial thing right now. Something on that front needs to happen quickly.
Of the three, Sessions is the best. More calming and rational, and most people don't know him so he's relatively fresh. First impressions matter a lot (primacy effect), and he can work wonders in painting an entirely new picture.
That's just on those three. I haven't seen the other names that have come out yet.