Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., used Donald Trump to create buzz for a fundraising event for herself and visited him repeatedly in New York City, but then she declined to participate in his Republican debate, and the refusal might lead to the event’s cancellation.
Trump was surprised by Bachmann’s refusal to attend. “She would call me and ask me for advice,” he told the New York Daily News. “She said if she wins, she would like to think about me for the vice presidency.”
Bachmann has valued collaborating with Trump in the past. With her campaign flagging in October, she offered supporters the chance to speak with Trump in a tele-townhall conference call that doubled as a campaign fundraiser for Bachmann.
She signaled that she’d likely decline during a recent interview on Morning Joe. “We haven’t made the decision, we’re trying to figure it out,” she said at the time, making the excuse that the debate “comes right before the Iowa caucuses.”
Trump faulted Bachmann for not having more “loyalty.”
