Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.
In today’s edition, senior political reporters Allan Smith and Alex Seitz-Wald report on both Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy’s running mate. Plus, top national politics reporter Jonathan Allen explains Trump’s growing campaign and legal money troubles.
Trump and Kennedy Jr. have a common name on their VP lists
By Allan Smith and Alex Seitz-Wald
There is no shortage of ambitious politicians eager to raise their hand (or have others do so) in the vice presidential selection process. But even by conventional standards, a wide variety of unexpected and unconventional names are already in the mix for this year’s veepstakes.
This was reported by NBC News Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is adding to Donald Trump’s list of potential nominees, which he estimates to be 15. Rubio, who was mocked by Trump as “Little Marco” when they were rivals in 2016, he said it would be an “honor”. a seat will be offered on the ticket.
Do you have news? Let us know
Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. considered several candidates outside the political sphere, including an NFL player. Aaron Rodgers and television host Mike Rowe.
Now a new name has entered the fray – for both Trump and Kennedy.
Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, is being considered for both the Republican and independent presidential tickets, two sources familiar with the candidates’ discussions told NBC News.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for the one-time rising star, who spent eight years supporting Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign to running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, before finally endorsing and then courting Joe Biden. right and become a regular conservative media personality and conference speaker.
It is very rare for a politician to be interested in more than one presidential ticket. But Gabbard’s 2024 possibilities are not entirely within his control, and neither is equally likely.
One source said Gabbard would have more seriously considered Kennedy’s running mate if he hadn’t been swayed by the prospect of working with Trump. The person said Gabbard was “excited” about the chance to serve on Kennedy’s ticket, but is now focused on the possibility that Trump will pick her.
Trump’s allies and insiders say he’s a tough choice at best, though he may take a look from the former president, though he could still play another role in the campaign or a potential future administration.
Trump’s money problems continue to mount
Analysis by Jonathan Allen
Trump has a lot of money problems.
For starters, his legal team told the court this week that the financial institutions are united unwillingness to support the bond Because of a $464 million civil fraud judgment brought against him and his co-conspirators in New York. It risks confiscating his property.
If the liquidity crunch wasn’t bad enough, his campaign committee, which takes the most valuable “hard” dollars for campaigns, isn’t raising enough money. At the end of February, Trump’s campaign had just $33.5 million, compared to $71 million for Biden’s campaign.
Trump won in 2016 when he was popular. He lost this way in 2020 as well. But he and his team understand that even if Biden can’t match dollar for dollar, they’ll need significant cash to compete effectively.
Early next month, Trump plans to hold a fundraiser with hard-hitting Republican donors, some of whom have distanced themselves from him ahead of his third consecutive presidential bid this month. Through joint funding agreements with the Republican National Committee and state party committees, Trump will be able to collect more than $800,000 in checks from single donors. That should help him make up some of the difference.
But he still faces four criminal charges and various civil actions that will continue to pinch his campaign coffers as long as he pays his lawyers through political means.
A big X-factor could be fans’ desire to boost the stock price of the parent company for the Truth social media platform, which could be worth $4 billion to Trump if he sells his stake six months later than expected. first public offering. From a campaign perspective, this may be too late for an infusion to fundamentally change the race. But almost any problem can be reduced by a few billion dollars.
For now, expect Trump to continue to lag behind Biden in fundraising. But the real question isn’t whether he can keep up with his opponent — he likely won’t — but whether he’ll sink under the combined weight of legal debt and lackluster campaign fundraising.
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- 👀 Close the clock: Lawmakers released the text of a $1.2 trillion government funding deal Thursday morning, but it’s unclear whether the package will pass in time to avoid a partial government shutdown on Friday. More →
- 💲 Project 2025: The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 initiative, which seeks to develop a pool of conservative policy recommendations and potential staff for the next Republican administration, has been funded with millions of dollars by the Koch network and conservative activist Leonard Leo. More →
- 💸 Most Dollars: Jeff Yass, the owner of a libertarian trading firm and an investor in ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, has been the biggest donor so far in the 2024 election cycle, giving more than $46 million to Republicans, Reuters reported. More →
- ❌ More debt canceled: The Biden administration canceled another $6 billion in student loan debt for 78,000 public service workers, including teachers, nurses and firefighters. More →
- 💪 Midwest Women: The Biden campaign plans to rely heavily on two prominent women in two key battlegrounds to give him a boost: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin. More →
- 🔥 Oh, it’s on: Now that the Ohio Senate primaries are over, Republican Bernie Moreno and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown are racing to determine each other ahead of a hotly contested general election that will be key to control of the upper chamber. More →
For now, that’s it from The Politics Desk. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
If you are a fan, please share with anyone and everyone. They can register here.