Former President Donald Trump appears ready to make the public wait for a few more months before choosing his running mate.
Speculation as to whom Trump will choose has risen in recent months, with no clear leader in the field. The former president appears to keep it this way for reasons ranging from wanting to retain excitement to his own personal style. A Republican strategist close to him drew parallels with the show that helped him gain fame, The Apprentice.
“I do think this happens later rather than sooner,” the strategist told NBC News. “Trump likes the drama of drawn-out, Apprentice-like auditions.”
To make a choice so early might risk dampening the enthusiasm around his campaign. To keep the auditions going as long as possible would give him free campaigners, as several vie for the vaunted position.
Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, recalled the selection process for his former boss. He said Trump has a strategy in choosing a running mate, looking for a complimentary figure.
“For Trump, a lot of it is the production value, but I think Trump was looking for complementary skills, not redundant skills,” he said. “If you were up there and made a fool of yourself, it was certainly disqualifying. But you can never upstage him, so it’s a fine line.”
Ryan Williams, a senior aide to Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) 2012 presidential campaign, contrasted Trump’s selection process with that of his former boss, saying the former president may carry out a “less structured” vetting process.
“Most of the names he’s floated seem pretty well-vetted already,” Williams said. “Tim Scott and Marco Rubio have run for president before. My sense is this is going to come down to Trump’s gut.”
Indeed, seven sources familiar with the matter told NBC News that Trump is still in the earliest stages of selecting a running mate, despite being just six months out from the November election.
Williams questioned this strategy, telling the outlet that there is already so much media attention around Trump that he has no need to wait.
“Part of the veepstakes is a media tease, to draw more attention to your candidacy,” Williams said. “Trump is different. He already has all the attention he needs, and he’s spending most of his time in a courtroom.”
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Trump himself has only hinted at when he would make his decision, saying that he would make it “closer to Wisconsin time,” referring to the Republican National Convention, scheduled to begin on July 15 in Milwaukee.
Several candidates on the vice presidential short list are heading to a three-day GOP donor retreat in Palm Beach, Florida, this weekend, an event widely seen as an audition for the role. Among those attending will be Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and J.D. Vance (R-OH), Govs. Doug Burgum (R-ND) and Kristi Noem (R-SD), and Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Byron Donalds (R-FL).
