Trump invites VP hopefuls to duke it out at Mar-a-Lago this weekend

After spending all week in a Manhattan courtroom, Donald Trump will reportedly spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida surrounded by a host of supporters, some of whom have eyes on a potential vice presidency.

The Republican presidential candidate is set to convene a two-day retreat on Friday and Saturday in Palm Beach that is expected to attract more than 400 deep-pocketed donors and high-profile politicians.

The event will help shore up Mr Trump’s finances, which have taken a severe hit amid his ongoing legal battles, and reassure donors about the state of his campaign. According to the invitation, seen by Reuters, the retreat is open only to those who have raised $25,000 for the former president or couples who have raised $100,000.

Among the attendees tipped as potential vice presidential picks are North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, US Representative Elise Stefanik,  US Senators Marco Rubio, JD Vance and Tim Scott, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.

Mr Burgum and Mr Scott previously competed against Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination before dropping out. Both have since publicly declared support for him as the GOP candidate.

Most of the event will be held at the Four Seasons hotel in Palm Beach, with Mr Trump hosting a fundraising lunch at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday.

Guests will receive a briefing on the state of the race from Trump co-campaign managers, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, along with his pollster Tony Fabrizio. They will also be given a briefing on "election integrity." US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson is also due to make an address, per Reuters.

“Trump is skillfully using his VP contenders as an added bonus at these events,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican operative in Florida. “He’s using this to raise money and change the news cycle.”

The former president is also scheduled to hold a high-dollar fundraiser in New York on May 14.

Barring any major mishap, Mr Trump will face his former political rival, President Joe Biden, in the November 5 general election. However, he will not be formally nominated until the Republican convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July.

Historically, vice presidential candidates are announced around the time of major party conventions, though according to advisers, the former president is in no hurry to pick a running mate.

It comes amid speculation around the suitability of the potential candidates, including South Dakota governor Ms Noem, who recently received heavy backlash online after revealing her attitudes towards animals in a soon-to-be-released memoir.

In the book, of which a copy was obtained by The Guardian, Ms Noem described an incident in which she had shot a 14-month-old puppy named Cricket for being badly behaved. She also detailed how she had put down an unnamed family goat in the same way.

Some, including Trump advisers, believe Ms Noem’s book revelations have damaged her chances of securing a pick for vice president.

Mr Trump has spent the majority of the last three weeks sitting in court in New York where he faces criminal charges relating to hush money payments made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels.

He is charged with numerous counts of falsifying business records to conceal the payments. The trial continued on Friday.

The former president also faces federal and state charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and a federal prosecution over his mishandling of classified documents. However, it is unclear if any of those three cases will come to trial before the election.