Welcome to The Scoop the ultimate back-to-the-office water cooler cheat sheet, your go-to source for all things everyone really wants to know! Get the latest on everything from the political swamp maneuvering in D.C. to Hollywood drama to jaw-dropping small-town shenanigans from Paula Froelich. Subscribe to her newsletter here. 

() While Donald Trump has yet to announce his running mate, Republican insiders say the latest plan in the Trump camp is to have South Carolina Senator Tim Scott as the vice president. Note, Trump is notoriously mercurial and could change his mind, but as of now, this is the plan according to my sources. And it serves several purposes.

“(With Scott as the VP) the Republican party will be able to play the ‘Biden in Chains’ clip over and over and over and further weaken Biden’s popularity with the African American community,” the insider told me. 

In 2012, while he was vice president and campaigning for President Barak Obama in Virginia, Biden told a diverse crowd of 800, that the Republican challenger Mitt Romney wanted to repeal financial regulations and added: “He’s going to let the big banks once again write their own rules – unchain Wall Street! They’re going to put you all back in chains!” While Biden was referring to Republican economic policies, our insider said, “It’s not a good look for him right now. Telling African Americans they will be back in chains, with the slavery reference… and especially since the community feels forgotten by the Biden administration as the migrant crisis gets worse.”

The source added, “If (current vice president) Kamala Harris were more popular, Trump might not have picked Scott, but as it stands… no one likes her.” A USA Today/Suffolk University poll taken last month show that Harris’ disapproval rating is 52% with registered voters, and only 36% approve of her performance.

Other appointees being discussed are former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as the secretary of defense and Jay Clayton, the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission for the Attorney General position.

In addition, former presidential rival Nikki Hailey and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem will be offered “major” positions that will be very “prominent.”