Donald Trump look for a running mate growing stronger as a former president awaiting sentencing for serious crimes and preparing for the Republican National Convention next month.
vice president claimants Five sources familiar with the process told NBC News that the audit materials were recently obtained.
According to one source, Trump’s search has focused on four main prospects: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sens. Marco Rubio florida, Tim Scott South Carolina and JD Vance Ohio State. Another source described a three-way race involving Burgum, Rubio and Vance.
However, it is not clear that everyone has been asked to provide verification details that could exclude them. It happened in my drill Spends more time with Trump A source familiar with the matter has asked in recent weeks, he said. Burgum’s advisers and other fellow candidates declined or did not respond to requests for comment this week.
Sources involved in the conversations about the search cautioned that Trump was working from a short list that sometimes contained more than half a dozen names. Additions, subtractions, and the emergence of dark horse candidates remain possible.
Others mentioned as potential running mates include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Byron Donalds of Florida and Ben CarsonHe worked as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of the Trump administration.
Trump and his advisers have closely followed the searches until recently relatively quiet, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to an adult film actor. Trump said in interviews that a decision on his candidate is not possible until closer to the convention that will open on July 15 in Milwaukee. In 2016, he announced then-Governor Mike Pence of Indiana as his running mate just days before that year’s nominating convention in Cleveland.
Last month, NBC News reported that the Trump campaign had not yet moved beyond preliminary in-depth research into potential running mates; at that time, no questionnaires were sent out that could have contributed to the destruction of the field. That changed over the last week with the closing of the case the jury found Trump guilty on all accounts.
The trial has become an informal audition stage for VP candidates. Both Burgum and Vance, as well as longer-term prospects like Donalds, have joined Trump in the courthouse and often defended him on television.
Asked Friday in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer if he was interested in running on a ticket with a “convicted felon,” Vance pushed back.
“Well, Wolf, the whole purpose of this lawsuit was to allow the media and the Democrats to say exactly that,” Vance said. “It was never about justice. It was about plastering a ‘convicted felon’ all over the airwaves, when in fact the only thing Donald Trump is guilty of is being in the courtroom of a political sham trial.”
Burgum, who was with Trump in court on the day of the sentencing, quickly turned to flattery. Interview that night on Newsmax when asked if he was being vetted for the position of vice president.
“There’s a lot of buzz around it,” Burgum replied. “I’m just saying that President Trump is so strong right now that he can be elected without a vice president.”
Allan Smith, Alec Hernandez and Shaquille Brewster contributed.