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Trump Invokes ‘The Apprentice’ as Rollout of Running Mate Looms

Stephanie Lai and Hadriana Lowenkron

12 July 2024 at 2:09 pm·2-min read

(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump likened the upcoming announcement of his vice presidential pick to his onetime reality show The Apprentice, saying he was still weighing as many as five potential contenders with just days until the start of the Republican National Convention.

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The presumptive GOP nominee said he had changed his mind as he considered the different candidates and hoped to announce his final pick next week during the convention which begins Monday in Milwaukee. But he acknowledged that could be difficult due to the logistics of the event, where the party will need to officially nominate Trump and his running mate to the ticket.

“It’s like a highly sophisticated version of The Apprentice,” Trump said Friday in a radio interview with The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.

The former president — who told reporters last month that he had made up his mind — has sought to draw out speculation over his vice presidential decision, which has seen the potential contenders jockey for attention through fundraising, with cable news interviews and appearances with the former president.

“I’d say four people, you know, four or five people, but I got to know them very well,” Trump said about the remaining field, adding that some contenders who “wouldn’t have done as well” had fallen away.

“I’m going into great detail but ultimately it’s more of an instinct but I like to know all the facts before the instinct kicks in,” he added.

The presumptive Republican nominee on Friday named Senators Tim Scott of South Carolina, JD Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida, as well as North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as names he has been considering — offering praise for each.

“I watched Tim Scott on television yesterday,” Trump said. “He was fierce and great. He was great. I watched Marco over the weekend on television. He was incredible. JD, has been great. You have a man named Burgum, who’s a fantastic governor in North Dakota.”

Earlier: Trump Teases Rubio at Miami Rally as VP Announcement Nears

The timing of Trump’s decision has also been the source of intrigue, with the campaign teasing supporters about the possibility he would make his announcement at a rally in Florida earlier this week that Rubio attended.

“I’d love to do it during the convention, or just slightly before the convention like Monday,” Trump said in the Friday interview.

--With assistance from Jennifer Jacobs.

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