Former president Donald Trump He said that he has decided who he wants to be his candidate if he wins the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.
“Well, I can’t tell you that,” Trump told Fox News during a town hall in Iowa on Wednesday when moderators asked him who was running with him on the presidential ticket. “I mean, I know who it would be.”
Trump’s campaign quickly sought to downplay the remark. A campaign adviser told NBC News that “nothing has been finalized” about the vice presidential pick.
“He will announce his final choice when he is ready,” the adviser said.
Trump has a significant lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, both nationally and in primary states, over former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
Although he faces legal threats in federal and state courts, including a series of indictments over his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Trump remains the odds-on favorite for the nomination.
Follow live updates from the Trump town hall and the Haley-DeSantis GOP debate
In turn, the prospect of who Trump might choose as a potential candidate has emerged significant interest and speculation.
Pressed again on Wednesday, Trump declined to offer more clues about a potential nominee. Asked whether he would be willing to mend fences with any of the remaining presidential contenders, Trump immediately called out former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. who left the race the day before.
“Well, I’m starting to like Christie a lot more now,” Trump said, but “I don’t see it” about her being vice president.
Christie’s presidential bid was built on trying to unseat Trump, and on Wednesday he said he would still work to ensure Trump does not return to the White House, even though he is no longer running.