Four sources with knowledge of the matter suggest that former President Donald Trump may make his choice for his vice presidential running mate public as early as this week, perhaps before Thursday’s debate.
Trump has stated in the open that he plans to make his announcement at or soon before the Republican convention in May of next year.
However, these sources—who spoke candidly but asked to remain anonymous—state that there have been high-level conversations inside the Trump campaign in recent days about accelerating that timeframe and establishing an impression sooner.
The sources also issued a warning, saying that the decision may still be made closer to the convention and that the timing is not yet set in stone.
Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, tweeted following the publication of this report, saying, “Yes, it could happen as soon as today…or sometime in mid-July!!”
On Thursday, Trump will be in Atlanta for his first debate with Vice President Joe Biden. On Friday, he is supposed to hold a rally in Virginia.
Less than a month remains before the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to start in Milwaukee on July 15. Four days prior to the scheduled sentencing, Trump is scheduled to be sentenced for his conviction in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business paperwork pertaining to payments of hush money in order to conceal an alleged sexual encounter he had with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
This provides him a brief window of opportunity to present his running mate to the public.
Sens. JD Vance of Ohio, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota were still considered strong candidates, according to an NBC News report on Friday.
Over the weekend, Trump declared that he already knew who he would pick and that his running mate will be at the CNN-hosted debate in Atlanta. Burgum, Vance, and Rubio are anticipated to attend the debate in town.
The opinions of those acquainted with conversations over a pre-debate declaration varied regarding Trump’s political preferences. Before he faces Biden, one person expressed his want to fill his ticket. Another source stated that while he recognizes the potential political and logistical ramifications, he would welcome the chance to surprise Biden before their meeting.
“A clear departure from announcing something in tandem with the convention’s opening was made early last week,” a third individual with knowledge of the arrangements stated.
Once again on Tuesday, Trump’s official spokespeople suppressed rumors regarding the date of an announcement and the name of the candidate’s running mate.
The first consideration when choosing a vice president, according to Trump spokesperson Brian Hughes, is finding a strong leader who will serve as president for eight years following the conclusion of his next four-year term. “However, unless that someone is named Donald J. Trump, anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump would select his vice president is lying.”
When NBC News asked Burgum on Tuesday if he intended to speak with Trump prior to the debate, he avoided answering.
“Undoubtedly looking forward to the discussion,” he stated. “We’ll be in Atlanta.”
When asked if he had discussed the job with Trump this week, he disregarded the follow-up question.