Former President Donald Trump has made his decision on his vice presidential pick and will be unveiling his choice Monday afternoon on the first day of the Republican National Convention, according to a person familiar with the plans.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have both been informed that they are not Trump’s pick, according to people familiar with their conversation, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity before the formal announcement.
That leaves Ohio Sen. JD Vance as the only known candidate on Trump’s shortlist who has not received a call, though Trump has been known to throw curveballs and surprises.
Trump’s pick is expected to be formally unveiled at the convention in Milwaukee late Monday afternoon just before being formally nominated.
It remains unclear whether the assassination attempt on Trump Saturday at his Pennsylvania rally had changed the former president’s thinking about his potential second-in-command. But he told Fox News Channel host Bret Baier in a call that he planned to make his pick Monday, the anchor said on air.
The roll call vote to nominate that person is expected to take place Monday, according to a person with direct knowledge of the schedule who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The person cautioned that Trump could always change his mind.
Trump had been said to have narrowed his list to three candidates, Vance, Burgum and Rubio, all of whom would bring different benefits and vulnerabilities.
Vance is perhaps most ideologically aligned with the former president and would energize his base. At age 39, he would add a millennial contrast to the older men at the top of their parties’ tickets. But he has served in the Senate for less than two years.
Burgum would have brought business acumen and a steady hand, though Trump has noted his signing of a highly restrictive abortion law could be a drawback.
Rubio is seen in the party as a respected voice on policy, and his background — as the son of Cuban immigrants and a Spanish speaker — could have helped Trump appeal to Latino voters. He could also have helped draw more moderate and establishment-minded voters and donors turned off by Trump’s coarse rhetoric. But Rubio’s candidacy is complicated by the fact that he lives in Florida, like Trump, and would likely need to move.
Conversations in the last 10 days between Rubio and Trump’s campaign had focused on concerns about the residency issue and how they would work around both men residing in the same state, according to a person familiar with the private talks who insisted on anonymity to discuss them.
The Trump campaign wanted to make sure that it could be 100% sure that there would not be a protracted legal battle over the issue, and Rubio was unwilling to uproot his family, the person said.
After Saturday’s shooting, Trump’s choice carries considerably more gravity. If a bullet had struck just a little bit to the right, Trump likely would have been killed or seriously injured.
The close call puts in stark relief the significance of a position that is a heartbeat away from the presidency. Trump has repeatedly claimed that choosing someone who was qualified to take over as commander in chief was his top consideration for the role.
“You need somebody that can be good just in case, that horrible just in case,” he said in an interview with “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” in May.
In an interview with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner taped hours before the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, Trump was asked about how close he was to his VP pick and whether his decision-making would change if President Joe Biden steps aside.
“It’s a very important position especially if something bad should happen,” Trump said. “That’s the most important, if something bad should happen.”
Trump makes his vice presidential pick
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