Trump's Running Mate Announcement Could Come Sooner Than Expected To Rattle Biden Before Debate, Report

A new report from NBC News revealed that presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump could announce his running mate within the week as he prepares for the upcoming showdown with President Joe Biden on Thursday evening. Over the weekend, Trump explained to a reporter that he had already decided who he wanted as his vice president and that they would be present at the presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia. 

While Trump has said that he plans to make the announcement either right before or during the Republican National Convention in mid-July, sources within the Trump campaign explained that there have been discussions to move the schedule up ahead of the debate. The pre-debate announcement could, the sources said, be a way to distract Biden and allow Trump to have a full ticket to the CNN-hosted event. "Early last week, there was a definitive shift away from an announcement timed with the start of the convention," one person familiar with the campaign's plans said.

As previously reported by the DC Enquirer, the Trump campaign requested personal information from vice presidential contenders with vetting requests sent to Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

"As President Trump has said himself, the top criteria in selecting a vice president is a strong leader who will make a great president for eight years after his next four year term concludes," Trump spokesman Brian Hughes told NBC. "But anyone telling you they know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying unless that person is named Donald J. Trump."

While President Trump prepares for the first presidential debate in four years, the choice of his running mate will be decisive. With Trump having to attend his sentencing hearing on July 11, just four days before the RNC convention, his running mate could have to take a bigger role advocating for the Republican candidate's policies and agenda. NBC News has previously reported that Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. Marco Rubio, and Sen. J.D. Vance are all at the top of the vice presidential list, and each of them would be solid choice who could serve as a strong surrogate for President Trump on the campaign trail, be a competent executive in the White House, and potentially lead the Republican Party after a second Trump administration.

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