Ranking Trump's top 6 VP picks

SPOILER: Kristi Noem didn't make the cut

There are 68 days until GOPers will gather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the first day of the Republican National Convention.

Which means, by my educated guess, that we are roughly 65 or 66 days away from knowing who Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick will be.

“I’ll be picking, but probably not too much before the convention, which I happen to be having in the great state of Wisconsin,” Trump said last week in Wisconsin.

Which is consistent with this reporting from NBC News:

[Trump] appears to be in no hurry to name a running mate — someone who can keep a steady presence on the campaign trail while he spends much of his time in a courtroom.

Trump’s team has yet to move past the early stages of vetting vice presidential prospects, seven sources familiar with the process said. Top contenders have not received detailed questionnaires or other requests for information to help finalize a shortlist, though there are signs that they are being evaluated for their fundraising prowess. 

And remember that Trump picked Mike Pence as his vice presidential nominee on July 15, 2016 — just three days before the Republican convention began that year.

So, well, it’s going to be a while. I think Trump likes the idea of running a sort of public tryout for the job. It mirrors his experience as a reality TV star and producer. Think of it like “The Apprentice: VP Search.”

Just this past weekend, Trump had a number of would-be aspirants at a major donor retreat at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. That’s just one of the cattle-call episodes events you should expect over these next two months.

And, one word of warning: I think Trump will change his mind a whole bunch of times between now and when he makes his decision. Remember that even after he offered the job to Pence in 2016, Trump was on the phone with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie telling him to be ready to be the number two.

My guess is the person Trump picks will be the last person who gets face time with him. And he might even change his mind after he “makes” the pick.

So, that is all to say that the rankings below — of the 6 people I think have a real shot at being the pick (at least right now) — can and will change. Because Trump is utterly changeable.

I will continue to put these rankings out — more frequently as we get closer to the pick. My rankings are exclusively for my paid subscribers. If you want to get the full top 6, it’s just $6 a month or $60 for the entire year!

And, no, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem isn’t on my list any more. Bragging about killing a dog has that effect.

Ok, from 6 to 1 here we go!

6. Marco Rubio

I know the Florida Republican Senator has been the buzzy pick for the last 6 weeks or so. And he is young (52), Hispanic and, after being a major Trump critic in 2016, has totally rolled over converted to Trumpism.

But I just can’t get past the fact that if Trump chooses Rubio, the senator would have to move out of the state so as not to trigger Article II of the Constitution, which prohibits the presidential and vice presidential nominees from being from the same state. (Trump officially changed his residence to Florida in 2019.)

I suppose Trump’s legal team could challenge that element of the Constitution. Or Rubio could resign and move out of state. But, like, why go through all that hassle — and allow Trump rival Ron DeSantis to pick a new senator — if you don’t have to?

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