close
close

Donald Trump’s vice presidential contenders flock to Atlanta debate

Gillberg
Donald Trump’s vice presidential contenders flock to Atlanta debate

play

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – Now that the first debate is over, the Donald Trump running mate race heads into overdrive.

A bevy of potential Republican vice presidential candidates flocked to Atlanta to carry the flag for Trump before and after his clash with President Joe Biden – and amid news reports and informed speculation that the presumptive GOP 2024 nominee could announce his decision any day now.

“He’s told some people, yeah,” said Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law and a co-chair of the Republican National Committee, speaking to NBC News.

The Trump debate surrogate list included the most often mentioned possibilities: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and Sens. JD Vance of Ohio, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Marco Rubio of Florida.

Trump, who holds a day-after-the-debate rally on Friday in southeastern Virginia, said he wanted to unveil his running mate just before or during the Republican convention in Milwaukee on July 15-18.

In recent days, Trump and his aides have been more equivocal about the timing.

“We’re going to make a decision fairly soon and I think people will be very happy with that decision,” Trump told Newsmax in an interview broadcast Tuesday.

Trump and his aides have also pointed out that there is always the possibility of a surprise.

At the Atlanta debate, the campaign’s debate surrogate list included several longshot GOP candidates, including businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former housing secretary Ben Carson, and Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York.

Ramaswamy, for one, told reporters he isn’t sure he will be Trump’s guy.

“He did not ask me to be his vice president,” he told reporters. “Whoever he asks is going to have, I think, a remarkable ability to serve this country in taking that America First agenda even further.”

Another possible VP aspirant, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, is scheduled to appear with Trump at his rally Friday in Chesapeake, Va.

Youngkin was not spotted in Atlanta, nor were other longshots.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told USA TODAY that she was staying in Alabama: “I’m looking forward to watching President Trump win tonight’s debate as he outlines his vision to restore secure borders, safe streets, stable prices, and strong families .”

Another vice presidential tryout

All the vice presidential contenders who trekked to Atlanta gave television interviews and appeared in the media “spin room” to praise Trump’s performance and denigrate Biden – the latest episode in the “Apprentice”-style contest supervised by Trump.

Throughout the campaign year, aspiring vice presidents have gone on television, used social media, attended fundraisers, and spoken at campaign events to all Trump.

The auditions have yielded news leaks and reams of stories about who is up and who is down. Trump and his people are all too happy to build the suspense.

On Tuesday, two days before the debate, senior adviser Chris LaCivita mocked a news report that the vice presidential announcement “could come as early as this week.”

“Someone remind me to tweet this story on Friday,” LaCivita said on the social platform next week.

The social media campaign

In the run-up to the Atlanta debate, social media users pushed their own favorite vice presidential candidates. Ramaswamy received much online support.

In some cases, Trump allies used social media to shoot down possible contenders.

Former presidential son Donald Trump, Jr. hit reports that some Republican donors are still pushing to form South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who mixed it up with Trump quite frequently during the Republican primaries.

On X, the younger Trump said: “Nikki Haley, who served as the puppet of Democrat billionaires and warmongers, would be a wonderful choice (if) my dad wants to get impeached within about 7 seconds of being sworn in. She’s they’re last hope!”

The campaign’s official on-the-record statement remains: “Anyone telling you they know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying unless that person is named Donald J. Trump.”

The statement also underscores the importance of the pick: That Trump is looking for “a strong leader who will make a great President for eight years after his next four-year term concludes.”

Trump went down this road this road during his first presidential campaign in 2016.

Back then, after a string of news leaks and speculation, Trump selected Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

Trump finally announced his selection – by tweet – on July 15, the Friday before the Monday opening of the convention. The two had a formal announcement that Saturday.

In his Newsmax appearance this week, the interviewer – former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski – cited specific names like Vance and Burgum.

“I could take any one of these people,” Trump said. “They’re great. We have a great bench.”

Related Posts