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But most of all he wants someone who will help him win.
One of Trump’s senior advisers told The Washington Post that at least a dozen people are being considered for the job. That list is “growing, not shrinking,” and President Trump continues to add his name, said Mr. The same advisor said:
Who comes and goes depends on the day. According to four people close to the campaign, Mr. Trump stuck to J.D. Vance in some conversations. Trump allies are also discussing the Republican governor. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Kristi L. Noem of South Dakota, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas. Sens. Katie Boyd Britt (R-Ala.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) — several allies are quick to point out that they’re “doing their part” — Marco Sen. Rubio (R-Fla.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.); Rep. Byron Donald (R-Fla.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (New York). and MAGA star Kari Lake, who lost the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race.
Trump even held up Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name to guests on the patio at Mar-a-Lago, but Trump’s advisers have denounced the idea. He may still choose a political newcomer, perhaps a business figure.
He will never choose Mike Pence.
However, five people close to Trump say the president is far from making up his mind and does not appear to be in any hurry to make a decision. He watches television and carefully judges candidates. Consider not only what they say, but also their body language and whether they seem confident and persuasive.
“Where’s my Cary Grant?” Trump repeatedly asks.
He met with vice presidential candidates at Mar-a-Lago and pitted them against each other. On Saturday night, after President Trump met with some of the nation’s wealthiest Republican donors, he introduced Mr. Burgum, Mr. Scott and investor Vivek Ramaswamy, giving each a speaking opportunity and inviting guests. It surprised me.
Jason Miller, a Trump adviser, argued that holding a semi-public competition to choose a vice president and waiting until the last moment to choose one would give the former president an advantage. Miller told those around Trump that all of the candidates would work hard for Trump and that Trump and his team would have more time to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.
Knowing Trump’s penchant for reality TV, Miller suggested building suspense and drama around his choices during the campaign.
“This is ‘The Apprentice: 2024,'” said Terry Sullivan, a Republican consultant who worked on Mr. Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid. “Donald Trump is nothing if not a showman. He loves this process, prolongs it, gets as much media coverage and goodwill as possible, and leverages it as much as humanly possible. intend.”
Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said in a statement: “Anyone who claims to know who President Trump will choose to be his vice president and when, unless his name is Donald J. Trump, is lying.” Stated.
President Trump’s choice of vice president will be one of the most important decisions leading up to the November election. He suggested that most voters already have strong views about Mr. Trump and that his choice of running mate “will have no impact whatsoever.”
But at 77 years old, he would become the oldest president to take office if he wins. Under the constitution, he only has one term left in office, and the person he chooses will be the favorite to succeed him as leader of the MAGA movement.
But becoming President Trump’s running mate turned out to be an endeavor with big rewards and big risks. Pence served Trump loyally and despicably for four years until Trump turned on him for refusing to overturn the 2020 election results. The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, where some rioters chanted “hang Mike Pence,” put Mr. Pence and his family in danger.
Mr. Pence last year said Mr. Trump was unfit to serve as president after January 6, and has explicitly refused to support Mr. Trump in his own presidential bid.
Asked whether Trump’s appointment as vice president posed any political risk, Marc Short, a top aide to Mr. Pence, said, “That question is self-answering.”
“In 2016, our party was deeply divided, and I think Pence’s selection convinced many conservatives about Trump’s candidacy,” Short said. “I don’t think Mr. Trump needs a vice presidential nomination to strengthen the party. He strengthened the party. He’s very willing to communicate with elected Republicans in different ways. I don’t think I need someone in the same way to successfully navigate Washington because I’m used to it…I don’t know if I’ll be in the same role a second time.”
Chris Christie, who was Trump’s runner-up and running mate in 2016, predicts that even if Trump drags out the process, he will ultimately choose a yes man.
“No. 1 job is flattery,” Christie says. “The second job is what he believes is the biggest political advantage on the day he makes the decision. Not the day before or the day after.”
Christie said that in 2016, President Trump was concerned about securing the support of evangelical voters and staunch conservatives. Christie says this time she’s more worried about her future and finding someone who won’t go against her.
President Trump praised Rubio and former White House press secretary Sanders for their recent television appearances. Rubio is attracting a lot of attention among President Trump’s advisers.
The former president has surveyed advisers, donors and even members of his Mar-a-Lago club about Noem, and some question whether she carries too much baggage. Recently, some of his inner circle were disgusted when she shot an infomercial-style video for a Texas dental clinic where she got her teeth fixed.
Noem’s team provided the Trump campaign with data showing that she is performing better than other vice presidential candidates in battleground states, according to people familiar with the discussions. Noem’s spokesman, Ian Furey, said she had a “great conversation” with Trump last week.
“While the media is worried about the vice presidential pick, she is focused on continuing to deliver victory for the people of South Dakota and will do whatever she can to help Trump get re-elected,” Furey said. Ta.
a Three of Trump’s advisers say Lake’s drawback in running for the Arizona Senate is that she won’t win the 2022 gubernatorial race.
“I think he’s genuinely conflicted about some ideas,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C.). “He’ll name some people, but what he’s thinking more about is, can you be president? Can you help me?”
Vice presidential hopefuls are auditioning not only during their visits to Mar-a-Lago, but also at fundraisers, campaign events and cable news appearances. Some have posted or emailed about Trump dozens of times this year, including his name in their messages.
Trump advisers said nearly all the candidates named in this article have visited Mar-a-Lago at least once in recent weeks.
In interviews, people close to the potential candidate appeared less enthusiastic while vigorously defending Mr. Trump, hinting at a balancing act and often citing rivals as counterexamples.
A source close to Mr. Sanders said he has a dream job but has already been vetted and emphasized his loyalty to Mr. Trump. (Mr. Trump’s advisers said they were hurt that Mr. Sanders did not endorse Mr. Trump until the November rally in Hialeah, Fana). “Everything he’s doing now to help Trump will be the same even if his name is mentioned as a running mate,” said a source close to Vance. (Trump endorsed Vance in the 2022 Ohio Senate Republican primary, clearing the way for him to win the nomination.)
Mr. Scott, who ran for the White House last year but withdrew in November and is the only Black Republican in the Senate, has since endorsed former President Trump ahead of the New Hampshire primary and has since endorsed Trump on cable. He has appeared on the news dozens of times. President Trump has said in both his public and private life that Scott made a better case for him than in his own failed bid for the White House.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Democrat who recently met with President Trump and encouraged him to choose Scott, said the former president had not offered any hints.
“He’s very transparent,” Kramer said. “But if it’s a secret he wants to keep, he’s very good at keeping it. And this isn’t an issue where he’s flipped out at all.”
If 2016 is any indication, President Trump will make decisions until the last moment. Christie, who won the job as a runner-up, said she didn’t realize until the final day that Trump would disagree with her. He said he found the news particularly jarring when he was informed by the head of security that Pence was flying into Teterboro, a private airport in New Jersey.
He called President Trump, who denied making the final decision. President Trump told him to turn on Fox News immediately and called Greta Van Susteren’s show at the time.
“Within about 30 seconds, Greta said, ‘We have a special guest on the phone,’ and it’s soon-to-be Republican candidate Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump, thank you for having us,” Christie said. recalled. “He’s basically saying, ‘I didn’t have the final say, it’s up to Christie and Pence, no matter what anyone says.'” And he calls me back. ‘do you understand? I haven’t made a choice. ”
Christie said he told Trump he didn’t believe Pence would fly from Indiana to New Jersey to lose a showdown. The next morning, President Trump called Pence to announce his choice.
“He said to me, ‘Chris, look, I want you to admit, Pence is right out of center,'” Christie said.
Isaac Arnsdorf, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Jeremy Merrill contributed to this report.
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