Former President Donald Trump is bringing a posse of key GOP players to his Manhattan hush money trial on Tuesday as Michael Cohen is set to testify for a second day.
Trump has made his hush money trial a new destination for Republicans to gather to show their support for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Attendees to Trump’s trial have included Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and J.D. Vance (R-OH), along with Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), among others.
Here are the Republicans flanking Trump on Tuesday — and why they may have made the trip to the Big Apple.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)
Johnson easily survived a motion to vacate last week, weeks after appearing alongside Trump in Mar-a-Lago to announce election integrity legislation. He has had Trump’s tentative backing since winning the speakership in October, and he looks to keep it if he is to remain the top Republican in the chamber.
Trump supported Johnson in Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) bid to oust the House speaker, saying that he is a “good man who is trying very hard.”
Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND)
Burgum ran against Trump in the Republican presidential primary, but he now appears to be a candidate in the race to be Trump’s running mate.
The North Dakota governor is not running for reelection in the Peace Garden State and has been floated for a Cabinet position in a future Trump administration or as a vice presidential candidate.
Burgum’s visit to the courthouse on Tuesday adds to his recent cavalcade of appearances alongside and supporting Trump.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL)
Donalds is another Republican who has been floated as a potential running mate for Trump.
The Florida Republican has been spotted alongside Trump at various campaign events, including an event earlier this month at Mar-a-Lago where various potential vice presidential candidates assembled to state their case.
A potential hurdle for Donalds, and any other Florida vice presidential nominees, is the Constitution. The 12th Amendment stipulates that the presidential or vice presidential candidate must be from a different state than the electors. If Trump, a Florida resident, picks a Florida running mate, he would have to sacrifice the state’s 30 electoral votes.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL)
Mills, another Florida Republican, has not been viewed as a top candidate for Trump’s running mate, but he has shown himself to be an ally to the former president.
Last week, Mills introduced an article of impeachment against President Joe Biden over his decision to delay military aid to Israel.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy has been floated as a vice presidential pick for Trump, but reports have suggested that the former presidential candidate may have been ruled out by the former president.
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Other reports have suggested the avid Trump supporter may be a leading candidate to be a member of Trump’s Cabinet.
Trump’s hush money trial is expected to continue over the coming weeks. It is the first of four likely criminal trials the former president is facing as he runs for a second term in the White House.
