Yahoo News Trump's Vice Presidential Pick Could Come This Week, Reports Indicate
Former President Donald Trump might drop the name of his running mate this week, possibly ahead of Thursday’s highly anticipated presidential debate, according to reports.
NBC News reported that four sources, who all asked for anonymity, said Trump could soon reveal his vice presidential selection for the November election. But the timing isn’t final, the sources said, adding that he might still decide to announce his choice closer to the Republican National Convention, which is July 15-18, as Trump had previously stated.
The reports come just days after Trump told NBC that he had made a decision on a vice president but that “nobody knows” who it is.
Trump previously said he would announce a running mate around the time of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, where he’s expected to be nominated as the party’s presidential nominee.
His campaign had been deliberating about whether he should make the announcement before or after his July 11 sentencing for his New York conviction of falsifying business records to mask a hush-money payment to a porn star just before the 2016 election. Now sources say his campaign is discussing making the announcement sooner.
The short list of likely Republican running mates includes Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.), J.D. Vance (Ohio) and Tim Scott (S.C.); Reps. Byron Donalds (Fla.) and Elise Stefanik (N.Y.); North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum; and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
Notably, the list excludes his former vice president, Mike Pence, who had criticized Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election based on unfounded claims that President Joe Biden stole the election. Trump supporters directed their anger at Pence in the attack on the U.S. Capitol as Congress met to certify the electoral votes for Biden.
Trump told reporters on Saturday he has not even told the individual he has selected that they would be his vice presidential choice, but he said that person will be at Thursday’s debate.
Senior Trump campaign adviser Brian Hughes said on Friday that the “top criteria in selecting a vice president is a strong leader who will make a great president for eight years after his next four-year term concludes.”
On Wednesday, Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” is hosting a series of interviews with the possible running mates, along with their significant others, to discuss what they would focus on if they were selected as Trump’s vice president and what qualities they would bring to the administration.
