Speculation about Trump’s running mate

Former President Donald Trump told reporters Saturday he’s made up his mind about who will be his running mate in November, but he has yet to tell anyone who it is.

Trump told NBC News ahead of a rally in Philadelphia that he’s settled on a vice presidential choice.

“In my mind, yeah,” Trump said when asked if he’s decided.

Asked if his pick knows it’s them, Trump responded, “No, nobody knows.”

The selection process for Trump’s running mate has ramped up in recent weeks as several candidates received vetting materials from the campaign. Trump has said he may announce his choice at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next month.

Sources familiar with the process told The Hill the front-runners for the position are North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance and Sen. Marco Rubio.

Others who received vetting materials and are under consideration include Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Tom Cotton, Rep. Elise Stefanik, Rep. Byron Donalds  and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.

Trump has praised each of those individuals at various times, though he has downplayed the impact his selection might have on the end result in November.

“It’s never really had that much of an effect on an election,” Trump told Fox News earlier this year.

 

Trump not considering Haley running mate

Donald Trump said on Saturday that former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was not being considered to be his running mate in the November 2024 election.

"Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the Vice President slot, but I wish her well!" Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

It was reported that Trump could pick Haley if he were convinced she could help him win the presidency, avoid a potential prison sentence and cover tens of millions in legal bills if he loses.

Haley, the former South Carolina governor and a former US ambassador to the United Nations, ended her long-shot challenge to Republican presidential frontrunner Trump in March this year.

Comment was not immediately available from Haley. While she has acknowledged that Trump, who repeatedly belittled her candidacy, would be the Republican nominee, Haley has not endorsed him.

There is already a long list of potential candidates for the vice president position that includes North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and J.D. Vance, and US Representative Elise Stefanik.

Burgum and Scott competed against Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination before dropping out.

Noem has been embroiled in controversy after revealing in a memoir that she once shot a 14-month-old dog for being disobedient.

Trump does not seem in hurry to pick a running mate. He will not be formally nominated until the Republican convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July.

He will face President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November 05 general election.