WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump‘s process of choosing a running mate has entered its final stages in a frenzied and increasingly theatrical manner, as he privately narrows his focus to a set of top candidates. At the same time, he is encouraging his team to stoke speculation about other candidates – and the possibility that his choice could be announced at any time.
Behind closed doors, Trump was most interested in Ohio Senator JD Vance, governor of Ohio. Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Senator. Marco Rubio of Florida, according to three people who spoke with the former president in recent days and asked not to be identified to discuss private conversations.
But Trump has confounded some friends and advisers by continuing to solicit opinions about other candidates, including Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and former Housing Secretary during his administration, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
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Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign has released a series of cryptic and suggestive messages suggesting the announcement could happen as early as this week, fueling 72 hours of rampant speculation that has left political observers and Republican allies confused.
Several Republican strategists said there were few clear advantages for Trump to announce his vice presidential pick the same week as his first debate with Trump. President Joe Bidenthat will take place Thursday night in Atlanta. Trump has invited a parade of his potential favorites to the debate, including the three leading contenders, and tasked them with defending his performance before a crowd of cable news cameras and political reporters.
Few strategists would rule out an announcement during debate week, given Trump’s tendency to make impulsive decisions.
Trump is hardly the first candidate to promise a “big reveal” to draw in an audience. But he is showing once again that few others are more willing to use the technology for political purposes.
“He’s a promoter — it’s in his DNA,” said Mike Dubke, a Republican strategist and former White House communications director. “He’s going to keep doing it until he doesn’t enjoy it anymore, or he doesn’t get any value out of it.”
One of the clearest fallout from the speculation about who it will be was Fox News’ announcement this week that it would conduct a series of interviews with the candidates and their associates.
The interviews were originally scheduled for July, closer to the start of the Republican National Convention, when Trump had generally suggested he would make his announcement. Instead, they were moved up: Vance’s interview ran Wednesday, Scott’s appeared Thursday, and Burgum’s is expected Monday.
From Mar-a-Lago, the interviews are seen as a kind of final casting for Trump. But the rush to air the segments may have cost Rubio a spot on the series.
According to two people familiar with the planning, Rubio’s team had rejected several possible interview settings, including an option for a pickleball game with Steve Doocya “Fox and Friends” host. When the timeline shifted earlier, Rubio’s office told the network it was unable to resolve multiple scheduling conflicts, the sources said.
Tensions over the interview entered the public spotlight Wednesday morning when Doocy complained on air that Rubio had stopped responding to his texts. Brian Kilmeade, one of Doocy’s co-hosts, suggested they ambush Rubio at his Miami home or at a sporting event for one of his children.
“Maybe he already knows who the pick is going to be,” Doocy said, adding, “Marco, it’s not too late – Marco, go ahead, text me now and tell me you’re available and I’m Miami in 15 minutes.”
A spokesman for Rubio declined to comment. A spokesman for Fox News declined to comment on questions about Rubio’s participation, pointing to the network’s press release from earlier this week advertising the interviews.
Some Trump aides have urged reporters to keep a vigilant eye on Trump’s social media feed around the clock, implying the announcement could come in the middle of the night.
On Tuesday, Chris LaCivita, a top Trump adviser, posted a suggestive message on social media: “Heading to West Palm!! Question is…who’s with me???”
The rampant guesswork is itself a reward for Trump’s campaign, which has drawn the attention of major news organizations to a story that keeps him in the news and poses little political risk.
Last month, the Trump campaign fueled the veepstakes news cycle by trickling out a list of contenders that were being vetted. But the campaign never defined what it meant by vetting, and the list ignored the reality that Trump was actually focusing his attention on a smaller group.
The campaign’s enigmatic messages have also caused headaches for Trump’s Republican allies.
“All the information I have comes from reporters. It’s driving me crazy,” an adviser to a vice presidential candidate said on Tuesday.
“No one wants to get rid of this more than me,” said another.
“This is torturous,” said a third, adding: “But Trump is clearly enjoying himself.”
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