Donald Trump solicited opinions from attendees at a New York event regarding Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake’s potential running mate.
The ex-president seemed enamoured with Ohio Senator JD Vance in recent chats.
Numerous individuals have been named by Trump in recent months, including Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, Ben Carson, a former member in Trump’s cabinet, and even Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina.
As he considers potential candidates for vice president, the presumed GOP nominee is throwing them all out there.
The president frequently solicits opinions from Mar-a-Lago guests, donors, and allies. According to those in the know, his opinions on possible candidates are subject to change and are often influenced by his discussions with different allies.
“He goes from publicly criticising someone to privately inquiring about their vice presidential status the very next day. Trump advisers have informed AWN that the president occasionally wants to know what others think of them.
According to several sources who have been informed or who have spoken with the former president, Trump’s interest in Rubio, Vance, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has grown in recent weeks.
According to the reports, Trump’s advisors have made it clear that the former president has not yet decided on a running partner. Talks with those close to the prospective candidates also indicate that Trump has not personally approached many of them about the post.
As Trump starts tossing names around and possible candidates start to manoeuvre in the shadows, AWN has learned from sources close to the situation that his campaign has amassed a list of over a dozen possible vice presidential candidates to be evaluated.
According to one source, the list was characterised as “unsurprising,” suggesting that it included several names that were already in the public domain, including several that Trump had proposed. Although the campaign is keeping tabs on potential candidates, some sources have warned that the ex-president will decide who to run with, regardless of how thoroughly they were investigated.
According to three people who spoke with AWN, Trump has hinted in private that he plans to unveil his choice for vice president in the early summer, just before the Republican convention.
Adviser to Trump said that Trump may still choose to name his running mate sooner rather than later, but at one point he and his inner circle considered doing it soon after he had won the Republican presidential nomination.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each chronology, according to Trump’s supporters. Given his team’s financial troubles in comparison to President Joe Biden’s campaign, an early announcement would allow them to potentially collect funds off of that selection.
However, if the announcement is postponed, it can heighten the anticipation and focus on the former president as Republicans vie for the position of his vice president.
According to several sources who spoke with AWN, Trump has recently promised his supporters that he will lead the Republican ticket in 2024 regardless of his running mate choice.
The former president’s confidante said AWN that Trump is aware that his supporters will vote for him regardless of his running mate, and that his detractors will not sway their votes because of this.
On the other hand, Trump is known for his political acumen, and according to sources, he is seeking a running mate who can assist him win over weak voting blocs.
A surprising surname
The seriousness with which Trump is contemplating running against Marco Rubio, the Florida senator with whom he had a contentious primary battle in 2016 for the Republican nomination, has stunned many close to the former president.
Privately, Trump voiced his displeasure with Rubio for his lack of early endorsement after he announced his third run for president. He frequently reminded advisers that he had hosted an event in Miami for Rubio before his last election. A few weeks ago, Rubio gave his support to Trump.
But according to one person who spoke with AWN on the subject, Trump is “very much real” considering Rubio.
A top aide to Trump indicated that Trump favours Rubio due to his youth, charisma, good speeches, and Hispanic heritage.
A second source familiar with the situation claimed that the former president recently admitted that choosing Rubio would be problematic from a delegate standpoint due to the fact that the two are both Floridians. This is something that several of Trump’s senior advisors had already brought up.
The United States president and vice president can both be citizens of the same state; this is not prohibited by law. But under Article II of the Constitution, no elector from the same state may cast a ballot for more than one candidate.
A number of Trump advisors have said that the campaign believes the 2024 race will be close, which would make the rule even more pertinent.
“Anybody who gets a chance to serve as vice president of the United States should consider that an honour,” Rubio told conservative radio host Glenn Beck in response to rumours that his name was being mentioned.
“I have never spoken either to President Trump or anybody on his campaign about this or anybody else that they’re considering for vice president,” the senator continued.
It is reported that Scott, a senator from South Carolina, is being considered for the nomination, and multiple associates have tried to pitch Trump to him. One person who spoke with Trump about Scott, though, reported that Trump appeared disinterested. Trump has been tremendously delighted with Scott’s performance as a surrogate following the senator’s decision to stop his own 2024 presidential campaign, according to some close to the former president who disagree with this interpretation.
Organisations affiliated with Trump are diligently screening candidates to build out prospective staff, as there will be hundreds of administration positions to fill if Trump is elected, in addition to a possible vice president. A database of loyalist applicants is being built by Project 2025, a transition initiative run by the right Heritage Foundation. It is predicted that Trump’s staff would draw extensively from this database. When it comes to the project’s human resources, one of Trump’s most reliable former assistants, John McEntee, is lending his expertise.