Another campaign adviser simply asked: “What the hell am I watching right now?”
Ms Britt, who was first elected in 2022, is considered a rising star in the GOP and has been touted as a possible running mate for Donald Trump, who is allowing various names for his ticket to be floated before making a decision.
The mother-of-two is a former congressional staffer and lawyer, once named in the conservative press as one of “the people who will be running Alabama in a few years”, and was chosen for the job by Mitch McConnell, the outgoing Republican leader in the Senate.
‘The stuff of nightmares’
Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker, recently said that Ms Britt’s rebuttal to Mr Biden’s speech was an “audition” for Mr Trump’s vice-presidential pick.
“Some very smart people believe [Britt] will be Trump’s vice presidential pick — she has her big audition that night because she’s going to deliver the response to Biden”, Mr Gingrich said ahead of the speech in an interview on Sunday.
He added: “It will be interesting to see if Britt rises to the occasion. If she does, it will be a major step up in her potentially being Trump’s vice presidential candidate.”
Being picked to give the speech was an “honour” Ms Britt said, as she used it as a prime opportunity to boost her national profile and give Republicans the chance to appeal to a younger audience, especially young women.
But after receiving the ire of Mr Trump’s team on Thursday, Ms Britt’s future in the White House seems rather less likely.
“No one was surprised that McConnell’s handpicked senator resonated so poorly with the base,” one source close to the former president told The Daily Beast.
“But her performance was the stuff of nightmares and people were surprised by that.”
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
