Trump won't 'pander' to the 69% of Americans who aren't white men

If you are one of the overwhelming majority of people in this country who are not white men and are also concerned that Donald Trump might be working too hard to earn your vote, I have good news.

Top Trump aide Paul Manafort told The Huffington Post in an interview that the campaign probably won’t pick a minority or a woman to be Trump’s running mate.

“In fact, that would be viewed as pandering, I think,” Manafort told the interviewer.

The campaign has instead decided to take the logical step of limiting itself to less than a third of the people in this country.

Manafort also outlined what the campaign is looking for in a potential VP pick: “He needs an experienced person to do the part of the job he doesn’t want to do.” Implying not only that the campaign thinks there is a dearth of experienced women and people of color for the job, but also that Trump thinks a president should treat a vice president the way a shitty boss treats an intern.

The campaign’s direction reflects a broader problem in American politics. According to a 2014 survey, white men hold 64% of all elected offices in this country, despite being only 31% of the total population.

That doesn’t mean the Trump campaign has limited options. The Republican Party had four people of color as major contenders for the nomination. It also has two high-profile women of color who are sitting governors, which is two more than the Democratic Party has. But Trump has probably burned his bridges with both of them, using his platform to attack South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in March, and insinuating just this week that New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is lazy.