Trump teases 2024 VP pick during Hannity interview & confirms names on shortlist are ‘absolutely under consideration’
DONALD Trump has confirmed several potential vice president picks for his 2024 campaign, insisting the chosen candidate will be someone who “helps you get elected.”
The former president, who spoke to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday night, said he is yet to make the final call on his running mate – but revealed he will do so in the next few days.
In his first television interview since his debate with President Joe Biden in June, Trump spent most of the time attacking his successor before ending the roughly 20-minute interview with news on when he would announce his pick.
When asked when the decision will be made, Trump said, “I think probably within the next week.”
“I’d love to do it during the convention,” he said, referring to the Republican National Convention which begins in Milwaukee on July 15.
“It will make it even more exciting.”
Trump did not confirm who he would be choosing but when asked by Hannity if Senators JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, and Governor Doug Burgum were among the options, the former president was quick to answer.
“We started off with a lot of people,” said Trump.
“We have a great bench,” he added.
“The names you mentioned are absolutely under consideration, but I haven’t made a final decision,” he told Hannity.
Although Trump said he would like to make the announcement at the RNC, he also acknowledged that he may wait until it is clear whether or not Biden will remain the nominee.
That uncertainty remains in the air after Biden’s lackluster performance on the debate stage last month against Trump, leading to concerns about the president’s health and calls for him among Democrats to step aside as the nominee.
After his poor performance against Trump, a subsequent media tour to prove his cognitive abilities are still sharp has largely failed, even leading to controversy as one journalist stepped down from her show after admitting to only asking Biden questions handpicked by his campaign.
“It may make a difference, but probably not,” Trump said on Biden’s nomination affecting his VP choice.
Trump added that he believes everyone will be “very happy” with who he chooses as his VP.
“The choice will be very good,” he said.
“A person who can do a fantastic job as president, and then second, a person who helps you get elected,” he described.
This teaser by Trump comes just hours after a report by The Associated Press suggesting the choice is still up in the air, with even the former president’s closest senior advisers and longtime allies not knowing who will be chosen to join him on the ticket.
In late June, prior to the debate, Trump told NBC News he knew who his pick would be.
But then backtracked just one week later when he told a local Virginia outlet that he “has people in mind,” and will be “making a decision sometime before the convention.”
One senior Trump advisor, Jason Miller, suggested in an appearance on Fox News that the announcement may come as early as sometime this week before Trump confirmed the timing on Monday.
Trump has two rallies planned for this week that may serve as potential announcements for his pick.
The first is Tuesday evening at his golf club near Miami, Florida.
The time and place of this rally could be an ideal opportunity to unveil his pick if it is Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Miami native who plans to attend.
Then on Saturday, Trump is traveling to Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state, for an afternoon rally at the Butler Farm Show.
Donald Trump's Potential VP Picks
Donald Trump's shortlist of possible Vice Presidents picks:
Vivek Ramaswamy: A former biotech entrepreneur, he has been very outspoken and active with his support for Trump, who previously said Ramaswamy “performed well” in the GOP primary debates.
Doug Burgum: A billionaire and two-term Governor of North Dakota who endorsed Trump and has since become a personal friend, frequenting television appearances, joining the former President at fundraisers, and even traveling to New York for Trump’s criminal trial.
JD Vance: Venture capitalist, U.S. Senator, and writer of the bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, Vance is one of Trump’s most loyal political partners. On Wednesday, Vance admitted he would be “disappointed” if not picked by Trump
Marco Rubio: Florida Senator and former candidate for President. A native Spanish speaker and the son of Cuban immigrants, experts think this pick could possibly help Trump win over some Hispanic voters.
Tim Scott: The South Carolina Senator is the only Black Republican in the Senate. Scott worked closely together with Trump while in office on issues such as Trump’s tax cuts, opportunity zones, and criminal justice reform legislation.
Elise Stefanik: The only woman on Trump’s list, the congresswoman from New York was once an aide to former House Speaker Paul Ryan and also served in President George W. Bush’s administration. But during Trump’s four years in office, she became one of his most loyal and outspoken supporters. In 2022, Stefanik was the first member of Republican House leadership to endorse Trump’s campaign, and did so before he had announced he was running again.
Ben Carson: Carson, a former renowned neurosurgeon, served as the secretary of housing and urban development during Trump’s administration.
Byron Donalds: The 45-year-old Florida congressman has become one of Trump’s most prominent conservative Black supporters. Donald recently was caught on audio saying:
“You see, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative — Black people always have been conservative-minded — but more Black people voted conservatively.”
The rally will be just outside of Pittsburgh, not far from the border of Ohio, which is the state JD Vance represents – setting up another possible announcement.
Although those are real possibilities, Trump could make the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social.
But that may be unlikely, as the former president made clear he may very well wait until the RNC next week to create a large-scale announcement on stage.