Former US President Donald Trump has said that he knows who his vice presidential pick will be, but did not name that person.
Asked by NBC News at a Philadelphia campaign stop on Saturday whether he has decided on his vice presidential pick, Trump responded, “In my mind, yeah.”
He added that the person will “most likely” be at Thursday’s debate against President Joe Biden.
“They’ll be there,” he continued. “I think we have a lot of people coming.”
Trump also said that “nobody knows” his choice yet. NBC News has previously reported that Trump is zeroing in on Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as possible top contenders.
Sources familiar with the selection process told NBC News that Burgum and Vance are considered the top two finalists.
Trump senior adviser Brian Hughes said in a statement that the campaign’s top criterion for selecting a running mate “is a strong leader who will make a great President for eight years after his next four year term concludes.”
There had been some previous speculation that former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination but dropped out of the race, could be Trump’s running mate.
However, both Trump and Haley recently dismissed the idea that she could be his vice president.