Summary

This week, we delve into Donald Trump's potential picks for running mates. Contenders include Tim Scott, Marco Rubio, Mike Pompeo, and Elise Stefanik. Trump plans to announce his choice before the Republican National Convention in June. Kristi Noem and Nikki Haley are potentially out of contention. Biden's probable VP pick Kamala Harris open to debating Trump's running mate.

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For those who read...

This week, we will be looking at presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s potential picks for running mates:

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Who is in the running, and when will Trump decide:

• Some possible contenders include South Carolina senator Tim Scott, Florida senator Marco Rubio, former Kansas senator Mike Pompeo, and New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
• As Trump’s hush-money trial continues, the presidential candidate seems in no rush to lock down a potential running mate. With the election drawing closer, Trump seems to be leaning into the media attention and public speculation about who may be the potential Vice President come January 2024.
• Trump said he intends to announce his choice of running mate before the Republican National Convention convenes in June to officially declare him Republican nominee. During his 2016 candidacy, Trump used the convention to announce his running mate as former Indiana Governor Mike Pence.

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Who is out of the running:

• Despite once being near the top of the list, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem jeopardized her chances following the release of her controversial new book “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.” The book, in which Noem describes shooting one of her hunting dogs and a goat her family owned, made national news and received widespread backlash 
• Although he hasn’t officially ruled out Noem, Trump admitted the governor had “a rough couple of days.” Given his long list of other potential choices, it is unlikely that Noem will be able to bounce back.
• Also out of the running according to Trump is South Carolina governor and former presidential candidate Nikki Haley. Trump and his campaign have explicitly shut down rumors that Haley made the short-list for potential VP candidates. 
• Before ending her bid for president in March, Haley made it clear to voters that she had no interest in being Trump’s running mate. Despite this, the former presidential candidate confirmed that she will be voting for Trump in November.

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Joe Biden’s VP pick:

• Biden remains relatively quiet about his plans for a vice president in a potential second term. However, current Vice President Kamala Harris accepted an invitation from the Trump campaign to debate his running mate once he makes his decision later this summer.

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Enjoy the rest of your week and thank you for listening to Current 2 Politics, your inside scoop on the issues that matter!

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Who might Donald Trump pick for vice president? (NYT)

Trump is in no hurry as he leans into the pageantry of vice presidential tryouts (AP)

Trump VP contender Kristi Noem releases new book (The Guardian)

Donald Trump shuts down rumors about considering Nikki Haley for VP (CNBC)

Harris agrees to debate future Trump vice presidential pick (CNN)

Nikki Haley confirms she will vote for Trump following disputes in the primaries (AP)