No vetting so far in ‘informal’ VP search
Much of the process is still playing out in public
Donald Trump’s search for a new running mate in 2024 has been freewheeling and informal so far, with none of the questionnaires, detailed financial disclosures or formal interviews of past vice presidential searches – no noticeable signs of a detailed vetting process, at least not yet.
Instead, the vice presidential contenders seeking to share the GOP ticket with their party’s presumptive nominee are engaging in an informal dance with the Trump campaign, trying to be helpful and catch the former president’s attention whenever possible.
Much of it is playing out in public. Many of the front-runner candidates visited the former president at the New York City courthouse where he’s on trial. Trump faces allegations he falsified New York business records to conceal from voters potentially damaging information about an affair with an adult film star and a subsequent hush money payment.
Potential running mates also have been appearing with Trump at campaign events and defending him on TV.
Behind the scenes, the private jockeying to be Trump’s running mate includes phone calls with the former president and efforts by surrogates to promote favored candidates but no formal discussions about the job or requests for personal information from the candidates yet, said four people with knowledge of the VP search who spoke with USA TODAY on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.
“I think the trial pushed back a lot of this,” said one individual who is close to the Trump campaign, adding that the former president’s process for picking a running mate so far has been “informal, best I can tell.”
“As far as I know there’s been no formal vetting or anything like that,” said another individual with knowledge of the process.
The casual approach to the VP search so far belies the gravity of the choice, with the individual not only second in line to the presidency if Trump wins, but also the likely front-runner to win the GOP nomination in 2028. Even if Trump loses, his running mate likely would be a major contender for the GOP nomination in the next presidential cycle.
Trump’s choice of then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to be his running mate in 2016 proved momentous, with Pence breaking with Trump and certifying the 2020 election won by Joe Biden. There was considerable uncertainty eight years ago about Trump’s VP pick up until the day Pence was announced, which came shortly before that GOP convention in Cleveland.
Pence is long gone from Trump’s orbit, having run unsuccessfully against his ex-boss in the Republican primaries. Trump has said he plans to announce his running mate around the time of the Republican National Convention, which starts July 15 in Milwaukee.
Trump adviser leading search
Trump’s VP candidates haven’t been asked to turn over any documents or engage in any formal vetting process yet, sources told USA TODAY, but that may come later.
That stands in sharp contrast to another recent Republican nominee: Mitt Romney, the party’s 2012 pick, who had his VP prospects fill out an 80-question survey and sign a form releasing personal information.
Romney had attorneys digging into VP candidates’ backgrounds. It’s not clear if the Trump campaign is doing anything similar yet, but if so it hasn’t involved the candidates in the process, sources told USA TODAY.
Detailed vetting is often done by presidential campaigns to avoid any surprises in an individual’s background that could prove controversial. Trump tends to operate less formally and more by gut instinct, though, which has blown up on him at times.
Some of his nominees as president had past controversies that later emerged and caused him considerable political headaches, including Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court and some of Trump’s Cabinet and sub-Cabinet picks.
There doesn’t appear to be a “sense of urgency” within the Trump campaign about the VP pick yet, according to an individual close to the process.
“I think they are still in some of those early stages,” this individual said. “I think they have other priorities they’ve been focused on to date, and I think as a result everything’s kind of been pushed back a bit and we’re just not quite there yet.”
Top Trump campaign adviser Susie Wiles is coordinating the campaign’s search for a running mate, sources said.
“I think Susie’s probably the one who’s most closely involved with this on a day-to-day basis in making sure the process gets played out,” said an individual with knowledge of the VP race.
A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Trump allies have their favorites
Many of the contenders also have surrogates lobbying on their behalf.
Leading figures in Trump’s orbit who have their favorites among the top VP candidates mention North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina, J.D. Vance of Ohio, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, and others.
Trump’s campaign is stocked with Florida operatives – including Wiles – who have known Rubio for years. Wiles is believed to favor Rubio for the VP spot, according to sources.
Meanwhile, Vance has a close relationship with the former president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and recently appeared on his Rumble show. Former Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has been advocating for Scott to be the VP pick, according to the Daily Beast.
An individual with knowledge of recent private comments Trump made about the VP contenders said “definitely Marco is in the mix in a strong way, (Arkansas U.S. Sen.) Tom Cotton in the mix in a strong way, I think J.D. Vance (is in the mix), I don’t know about Burgum. … I do think Tim Scott is alive.”
Trump appears to be paying close attention to what his VP contenders are saying in public. He recently shared on social media a combative Rubio interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”