Donald Trump zeroes in on Tea Party veteran as vice-presidential pick as Indian company taunts him with tea

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign has signalled that he will pick Indiana governor and Tea Party veteran Mike Pence as his vice-presidential running mate even as an upstart Indian company mocked him for his divisive rhetoric by delivering a large consignment of tea with the message: "It’s never too late to cleanse yourself."
The good-humoured publicity stunt by the Kolkata-based Tea-A-Me made headlines on social media on Thursday after it released a video of saree-clad executives wheeling a dolly through midtown Manhattan to deliver a large box of tea at Trump Towers.The video-commercial ribbed Trump for alienating a number of constituencies — Hispanics, Muslims, Jews, gays, women etc — and used several representatives to advise the billionaire candidate to ease up on his hateful rhetoric.
“TE-A-ME understands the positive power of green tea. We believe that green tea with all its goodness can help Mr Trump, and in turn benefit his country and the world at large. We therefore prescribe at least three cups a day for Mr Trump. If he needs more, we’ll be happy to provide!” Sumit Shah, Managing Director of TE-A-ME Teas, said in a message accompanying the video. TEA-A-ME is owned Madhu Jayanti International Limited (MJIL), which claims to India’s largest tea bag manufacturing company and India’s largest tea exporter, with a footprint in over 42 tea-consuming nations.
There was no comment by the Trump campaign in response to the gag, and it will be interesting to see if the candidate will take the bait. Trump has his own brand of Trump Tea, described as a “premier collection of gourmet teas that embodies the luxury and sophistication synonymous with the Trump name.”
“Superior quality and attention to detail are keys to Donald Trump’s success and the same principles are applied to all things Trump. Enveloped in silky pyramid sachets, each Trump Tea premium blend consists of the perfect mix of natural whole leaf tea and delicious organic ingredients. Our beautiful keepsake tins are airtight to guarantee the freshest and most authentic flavours and scents possible,” is the Trump boast.
Regardless of the relative merits of the teas, the marketing horseplay injected an element of mirth on a day frontrunners from both parties dealt with finalizing the vice-presidential running mates.
Earlier, Trump appeared to have narrowed his choice to three men — former House speaker Newt Gingrich, Indiana governor Mike Pence, and New Jersey governor Chris Christie. However, on Thursday, Trump campaign officials signalled to GOP grandees that Pence is at the top of the list.
A pick among the three would not allow him to test Eleanor Roosevelt’s proposition that “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.”
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, who claims to have been tested herself to emerge strong, is vetting (retired) Admiral James Stavridis and Virginia senator Tim Kaine among others to be her running mate.
Proving to be not so strong was US supreme court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who on Thursday, wheeled back her comments about Trump in an interview in which she characterized him as a “faker” with an ego.
“On reflection, my recent remarks in response to press inquiries were ill-advised and I regret making them,” Justice Ginsburg said in a statement on Thursday, after Trump had lashed out at her and asked her to quit the bench. “Judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office. In the future I will be more circumspect.”