The last time Donald Trump chose a running mate, he did it in the least Trumpy way possible.

He’s a narcissist who relishes displays of supplication. And he made his name in entertainment by sponsoring competitions, from producing beauty pageants to hosting a game show. All of that points to a theatrical vice presidential selection process with the “contestants” scrambling to outperform each other publicly for his approval. 

That’s not how it went in 2016.

Perhaps because he was new to politics and felt unsure about what the Republican base wanted, his veepstakes that cycle was a low-key affair. Trump reportedly favored Chris Christie, a fellow bridge-and-tunnel guy whom he’d known for years, but was talked into choosing Mike Pence by campaign manager Paul Manafort. Manafort recognized that it was more important to pick someone who’d make evangelical voters comfortable than someone who’d make Trump comfortable.