Inside Donald Trump's 'Apprentice-style' search for a running mate

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

75% : Scott is making fundraising calls at the Trump campaign's request and will attend rallies and fundraising events when asked, including appearing with Trump, Burgum and former GOP primary rival Vivek Ramaswamy next weekend at a big fundraiser in Palm Beach.
73% : Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said Trump "will choose the best possible person for the job and someone who will fight for America First values.
57% : Susie Wiles, a top adviser to Trump, is leading a close-to-the-vest process of narrowing a list of around a dozen lawmakers and other Republican personalities under consideration, according to multiple people familiar with the process.
54% : She added that when Trump is thinking about vice president he is also considering people for other top positions in a potential administration: "The VP is the most important decision, but he is widely focused on personnel all around."
53% : But Trump is also sensitive to electoral needs, and part of the consideration is having someone who can help expand his appeal in November.
52% : "Trump, despite saying he doesn't think the vice president matters all that much, regularly asks guests at his Mar-a-Lago club for their opinion on different options and, with a flair for suspense, teases his choices in private meetings and media interviews.
52% : Trump seems to relish the guessing game -- which has been going on since he announced his third White House bid in November 2022, but has intensified since he clinched the nomination in March.
50% : "When people didn't know Trump beyond sort of the TV personality or the business guy, you needed a little more balance.
45% : And beyond helping Trump in 2024, the next vice presidential nominee may also have a leg up in who Republicans nominate in 2028.
43% : While who is up or down seemingly changes by the minute, the list has included everyone from Tim Scott and Kristi Noem to Byron Donalds, Elise Stefanik, Tulsi Gabbard and J.D. Vance, whom Trump has called a "fighter.
43% : Still, in a sign of his vacillation, Trump spoke positively about Scott as recently as last week, according to a person familiar with a private conversation with the former president.
43% : "This person will not only be one heartbeat away from the presidency during President Trump's next term, but will likely be our nominee in '28 and serve as president for the next eight years following President Trump's term," said Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who speaks to Trump regularly.
42% : Trump will be preoccupied with court appearances for a month this spring.
37% : Specifically, she said Trump should select someone who can speak about abortion with "conviction and compassion" and articulate what it means to be a "pro-life Republican" versus "pro-choice Democrat" in 2024.
35% : Donalds, the Florida representative, and Gabbard, the former Hawaii representative, among others, are also being considered or have been floated by Trump.
34% : "Trump is expected to make his decision before the Republican nominating convention in July.
30% : Scott, for example, talks with Trump by call or text message nearly weekly, according to a person with knowledge of their relationship and granted anonymity to speak freely.
27% : Britt, for one, had a widely panned State of the Union rebuttal, Noem just made a strange advertisement for veneers, and several hopefuls have come across to Trump as too eager, according to two people close to Trump.
13% : In 2016, Trump selected Pence to give him conservative bona fides and deliver evangelical voters.
12% : Kellyanne Conway, the former senior counselor to Trump in the White House, suggested Trump should choose someone who can help him win and govern, and not be a distraction as he tries to expand his reach to minority voters, women and political independents.
9% : "Unlike the Democrats who are stuck with a wildly unpopular president and vice president, Trump has an embarrassment of riches in terms of who he can choose," Conway said in an interview.

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