Meet JD Vance and Doug Burgum who lead Donald Trump’s VP picks ahead of first debate with Biden
DONALD Trump has narrowed his list for the his next running mate, ahead of his first debate,
Trump has previously told reporters that he already made his decision about who his next vice president will be, and there is only a short list of people who could potentially show up at the next debate.
JD VANCE
Vance is a republican senator from Ohio, where he held office for less than two years.
Initially, Vance was very critical of Trump.
However, during his time as a senator, he became a huge Trump defender, especially when it came to his views on policy, trade, and immigration.
Even after leaving the Senate, he was well-known in the media for going head-to-head with reporters and showing up at Trump fundraisers.
Before politics, Vance served in the U.S. Marine Corps out of high school and fought in Iraq.
After finishing his military service, he attended Ohio State University and later Yale Law School, where he graduated in 2013.
He would go on to work in Silicon Valley, before moving to Ohio to start his own investment firm.
In law school, he would meet his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance. The two currently have three kids together.
Vance is aware that he is being considered by Trump and admits he would be hurt if he wasn’t picked to be the vice president.
“I’m human. When you know this thing is a possibility, if it doesn’t happen there’s certainly going to be disappointment,” he told FOX News Channel’s FOX & Friends on Wednesday.
DOUG BURGUM
Many did not expect Trump to name Burgum, who is currently the two-term governor of North Dakota.
GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer previously said he was “initially surprised” about Burgum being on the shortlist, according to Politico.
He claimed it was “because a white male from a state with three electoral votes that haven’t gone to a Democrat since LBJ does not seem to bring a lot of electoral value to the ticket.”
However, the governor has always been on Trump’s radar.
How to Watch First 2024 Presidential Debate
The first 2024 Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump will begin at 9 p.m. eastern time on Thursday, June 27.
Who is hosting the debate?
CNN will be airing the debate with the network’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash hosting.
How long is the debate?
The debate is set to be 90 minutes long.
Where can I watch the debate?
The debate will air live on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and the streaming platform Max.
Those without a cable subscription can watch on CNN.com.
PBS News will also be covering the debate starting at 6 p.m., followed by a post-debate analysis. Those without cable can view on PBS’ YouTube page here: YouTube.com/live/Ba6wGGFhBkY.
The former president had backed Burgum in his 2016 and 2020 gubernatorial elections, and he returned the favor during both of Trump’s presidential runs.
As governor, he gained national attention after he enacted one of the strictest abortion laws in the country, signed eight different laws regarding transgender people, and has been an avid supporter of fossil fuels and carbon capture.
In 2023, he announced that he was running in the 2024 presidential election, however, he dropped out by December of that year.
Before he got into politics, Burgum graduated with an MBA from Stanford University and later joined the accounting software company Great Plains Software.
Burgum was later bought out of the company as it merged with Microsoft in 2000, which led to him becoming the senior vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions Group.
He would later go on to help found several companies, including venture capital firm Arthur Ventures.
OTHER POTENTIAL CANDIDATES
Trump was also considering Marc Rubio and Tim Scott as his potential choices for vice president.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio has become well known for his views on foreign policy and national security issues.
The vice presidential hopeful previously had a bitter feud with Trump during the 2016 election when they were both running for president.
However, decades of political experience, coming from the city commissioner in West Miami to the US Senate, kept him on Trump’s radar.
However, Scott, a Republican senator, has a good rapport with Trump.
Scott previously worked with Trump while he was in the White House, dealing with Trump’s tax cuts, criminal justice reform legislation, and opportunity zones, according to AP.
Outside of their working relationship, he recently launched a $14 million campaign to win over minority voters living in swing states.