Trump says he’s decided on his running mate – and his VP pick will be at the CNN debate
Donald Trump says his 2024 running mate will attend the CNN debate in Atlanta on Thursday.
The former president revealed that he has picked who will run as vice president on the Republican ticket in November, but the person he picked doesn’t even know it yet.
Reporters asked Trump ahead of his rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday whether he had settled on a running mate with just over four months until the election.
“In my mind, yes,” Trump replied.
When asked if he had yet informed the person that he was his choice for vice president, Trump said, “No, no one knows.”
Donald Trump said his VP pick will “most likely” come during Thursday’s debate and said he hasn’t told anyone who he decided to join his ticket in November
Trump heads to Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday for his first debate with President Joe Biden in the 2024 general election race.
The debate is one of the earliest in an election cycle in modern history and comes just a month after the former president was found guilty in Manhattan of 34 charges related to the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Trump told NBC News that his choice will “most likely” be during Thursday’s debate.
Trump’s vice presidential selection has increased in the weeks leading up to the debate and the Republican National Convention scheduled for July 15-18.
In recent months, Trump has seriously considered a list of eight Republicans who would join him in November, his campaign confirmed to several media outlets.
The shortlist included; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), Sen. J.S. Vance (R-Ohio), Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Rep. Elise Stfanik (R-N.Y.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Trump’s former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.
The shortlist for VP includes some past 2024 candidates, including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina (pictured) and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota.
While Trump has praised all these and others, claiming they would make good selections, he has also downplayed the impact his running mate will have on his election.
“It’s never had this much effect on an election,” Trump told Fox earlier this year.
Several candidates have received audit materials from Trump’s campaign in recent weeks.
Trump has said he may publicly announce his No. 2 choice at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Immediately after the debate, Trump will head straight to Virginia for a rally Friday outside Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
Meanwhile, Biden will head directly to North Carolina for a rally and Vice President Kamala Harris to Nevada for an event on mobilizing Latino voters. Both North Carolina and Nevada are essentially battleground states for Biden if he wants to win re-election.