WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Next week will kick off the Republican National Convention and there is still no clear sign of who will be former president Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick.
Trump says he has selected his running mate but he’s not releasing the name just yet.
“Donald Trump is running on common sense, on restoring common sense versus the lunacy of the last four years in the far left,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance are seen as potential Trump running mates.
Both men spent the weekend trying to distance the former president from a conservative plan called Project 2025, which lays out a massive overhaul of the federal government.
“It’s a 900-page document. I guarantee there are things that Trump likes and dislikes about that 900-page document. But he is the person who will determine the agenda of the next administration,” said Vance.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform he had nothing to do with the plan, “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it.”
One week out from the Republican National Convention it’s anyone’s guess when the former president will name his pick.
Also on the short list, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Florida Congressman Byron Donalds and New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
Political science professor Todd Belt says there’s a key component to winning that is missing from this group of names.
“They don’t bring a state that Donald Trump needs and they don’t bring a constituency that Donald Trump needs. These are normal politician calculations. And Trump is not a normal politician,” said Belt.
The former president will hold campaign rallies in Florida and Pennsylvania this week, potential opportunities for an announcement.