Who will be Donald Trump’s VP pick? Here’s a list of top potential contenders

Amid various speculations about who former president Donald Trump might choose as a running mate, sources have told CNN who the possible contenders could be. Trump is expected to reveal his pick for vice president at the Republican National Convention, which is just weeks away.

Who will be Donald Trump’s VP pick? (REUTERS/Tom Brenner)(REUTERS)

Trump has been busy, what with the hush money trial in New York in which he was found guilty. He is also battling three other legal cases. However, despite his legal woes, he has continued his campaign to win in the upcoming election.

NBC News’ Jake Traylor said in a post on X that although Trump has already selected his running mate, he has not informed the person yet.

Here’s a look at Trump’s possible VP picks, as per CNN:

Dough Burgum

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum reportedly received vice-presidential vetting materials from the Trump campaign last month. He previously told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that “the whole discussion about the veepstakes … is kind of a giant distraction.”

“(Trump) can win this election on his own,” Burgum said, adding that the “people of this country” are “focused on the issues” and “not on who’s going to be the VP.”

Marco Rubio

Six people familiar with the former president’s search for a running mate previously claimed that Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is being considered one of the most potential vice presidential picks. “It’s pretty clear from Trump’s orbit that Rubio is in play,” said a veteran Florida GOP operative, according to NBC News. “It makes sense because he checks almost every box if they can get past both being from Florida.”

J.D. Vance

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance entered the Congress with Trump’s help. In 2022, the former president’s endorsement helped Vance win a contentious race. Vance has been an outspoken Trump supporter in Congress.

Tim Scott

Earlier this year, Trump said Tim Scott is “a guy I look at” on being asked on a radio show if the South Carolina senator could be his running mate. Scott suspended his presidential campaign days after the third presidential debate. He later endorsed the former president in New Hampshire, saying, “We need a president who will close our southern border today. We need Donald Trump.”

Elise Stefanik

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik has now become one of Trump’s strongest supporters in Congress, although she was a Trump sceptic during the 2016 campaign. On various occasions, Trump has asked donors and allies what they think about Stefanik as a potential vice president. Stefanik previously told CNN that she is “proud to be a top surrogate” and “would proudly serve in a future Trump administration.”

Ben Carson

Former Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson, who is a retired neurosurgeon, did not exactly endorse Trump. However, he did offer a strong defence of Trump before he became president in 2017. “People who think Donald Trump would be the worst thing that ever happened … you make a really big mistake by trying to thwart the will of the people,” Carson before Trump was elected.

Carson turned down the then-president-elect’s offer to be his health and human services secretary, but went on to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He notably disagrees with Trump’s stance on abortion, but is believed to be one of the candidates to have been given many levels of paperwork in the vice-presidential vetting process.

Byron Donalds

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, a Trump loyalist and one of his most trusted surrogates, endorsed Trump over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary last year. The former president has often showered him with praises and public support. Donalds previously suggested that if he is elected vice president, he would be capable of assuming the commander in chief if necessary. “I think that I have the ability to step in,” Donalds said in June on NBC’s Meet the Press. “I’m actually pretty intelligent.”

Nikki Haley

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley became the last Trump opponent to stay in the GOP presidential race after everyone else suspended their campaigns. Earlier this month, on being asked if he would consider Haley as his running mate, Trump said he “was very disappointed in her because she stayed too long.”

Haley previously served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. She said on the trail in the past that she feels “no need to kiss the ring.” She did not immediately endorse Trump after suspending her campaign, but said Trump must “earn” the support of voters who supported her. However, last month she finally revealed that she would be voting for Trump.

Tom Cotton

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton did explore a 2024 presidential run, but decided not to join the race following the 2022 midterms. The Afghanistan and Iraq War veteran was first elected to the US House in 2012 and then to the US Senate in 2014.

Earlier this year, Cotton said he had decided to run for Senate Republican conference chair, which happens to be the third-ranking leadership position in GOP leadership. He recently told NBC that “any great patriot, if offered a chance to serve our country by the president, would have to consider it seriously.”

Cotton, however, has confirmed that he has had no conversation with Trump or his campaign about the role “or any position in his administration.”

Tulsi Gabbard

Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard ran as a Democratic presidential candidate back in 2020. However, in 2022, she left the party to become an independent. At the time, she alleged that her former party was “under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness.”

Gabbard in 2019 notably voted “present” on both articles of impeachment against Trump. However, in recent months, he has expressed her appreciation for the former president. Earlier this year, she said at a Conservative Political Action Conference that “the Democrat elite and cronies” are “using our criminal system to prosecute” Trump and “undermine his support.”