NEW YORK — The Republican vice presidential nominee's plane is currently parked in an undisclosed hangar, and stickers bearing the candidate's name will soon be plastered in the empty spaces on the aircraft.
Fundraisers are being planned.
All that remains is an announcement from former President Donald Trump announcing his choice.
” read more: Let's take a look at Donald Trump's list of vice presidential candidates and the chances of each being selected or not.
Senior advisers and longtime allies maintain they don't yet know who the presumptive Republican nominee will add to his shortlist, with many believing names are still in flux.
“We haven't made any final decisions yet, but I have some ideas about where we might go,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity that aired Monday night.
The decision comes amid unprecedented turmoil in the presidential election, as President Joe Biden and Democrats continue to grapple with Biden's dismal performance in the debates and growing calls for the 81-year-old president to step aside and put forward a younger candidate.
With the Democratic Party in crisis, President Trump has little incentive to change the subject with a vice presidential nominee announcement that will undoubtedly attract a great deal of attention and scrutiny.
” read more: Pennsylvania Democrats go into panic and cleaning mode after Biden debate fiasco
Trump, too, has been waiting to see how his relationship with Biden will play out.
“I'll be honest with you, I just wanted to see what they were doing, because maybe it would change something,” he told Hannity.
Presentation opportunities
But President Trump will have ample opportunity this week to heighten speculation about a process his team has kept closely guarded.
“It could happen any day this week,” Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”
Trump has scheduled two rallies, the first of which is scheduled for Tuesday evening at his golf club in Doral, Fla., near Miami. The prime-time schedule and location are likely to provide an opportunistic opportunity for one of Trump's front-runners, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, to announce his candidacy if he is the presidential candidate.
Rubio plans to attend the event, according to an adviser familiar with his plans, who, like other senators, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the selection process.
” read more: Trump's Youth Movement: Why Philadelphia's Young Democrats Support the Former President
On Saturday, Trump heads to the key battleground state of Pennsylvania for another rally at the Butler Farm Show, outside Pittsburgh, not far from the Ohio border and home of another leading candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance.
Trump's list of potential candidates also includes North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who has become close with Trump since Trump withdrew his bid for the nomination before the vote began.
Trump doesn't need a rally to announce his candidacy: He could do so on his platform, Truth Social, any time between now and the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15. Or he could wait until the convention starts and stage a spectacular onstage opening reminiscent of his days as host of “The Apprentice.”
He said Monday that the announcement would be “probably shortly before the convention, but not too far in advance. Maybe during the convention. It would be nice to announce it during the convention. That would create even more excitement.”
” read more: Trump held a rally in North Philadelphia to try to garner support from voters in Pennsylvania's bluest metropolis.
Trump has been hinting at his choice for months.
Late last month, ahead of the debate, Trump told NBC News while campaigning in Philadelphia that he had already made his decision.
“In my heart, yes,” he said.
But less than a week later, he told a local television station in Virginia that his decision was still in flux.
“Well, I have candidates in mind. There are a lot of good people. There is a deep talent pool,” he said, “but I will make a decision early in the tournament or before the tournament.”
He said he doesn't know yet who the likely candidate is.
“Anyone who says they know who President Trump will pick for vice president and when is lying, unless that person is Donald J. Trump,” Trump adviser Brian Hughes said in a statement he has repeatedly issued.
That includes the top candidate for the job.
Rubio said on CNN's “State of the Union” on Sunday that he doesn't know anything yet.
“Look, I haven't heard anything, I don't know anything. You probably know more about this than I do,” he said. “Donald Trump has a decision to make. He'll make a decision when he needs to. He'll make a good decision. I'm sure I'll be working for his campaign in some capacity for the next three or four months.”
” read more: Concerns over Biden's age, struggles over how to respond to Trump's conviction, and other highlights from the first debate
He also called it “presumptuous” to ask whether he would consider changing his residency from Florida if elected president, since the Constitution prohibits the president and vice president from being from the same state.
“When those issues arise, we will address them,” he said, “but we're not there yet. But we're getting there soon, anyway.”
Speaking on NBC's “Meet the Press,” Vance said he too hadn't received any news either way, saying, “I haven't received a call.”
“But most importantly,” he continued, “we're just trying to get Donald Trump elected. No matter who becomes vice president, he has a lot of great people to choose from. What matters is the policies and the style of leadership that has worked for the American people.”
” read more: Trump surrogates court black voters in Philadelphia with cigars and cognac
Powerful allies still recommend Tim Scott
On CBS' “Face the Nation,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime ally of President Trump, continued to support his fellow South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the Senate's only black Republican.
“I don't think he's made up his mind yet,” he said, adding that Scott would be an especially smart choice if Biden were to replace Kamala Harris as his top running mate — the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to hold the vice presidency.
“If I were President Trump, I would make sure I chose someone who can add value in 2024. Let's widen the map,” he said.
Biden stressed that he has no plans to back down and said only “God Almighty” could make him change his mind.
