Donald Trump announced on Monday that Ohio Senator JD Vance will be his vice presidential running mate.
The president posted on his Truth Social Network: “After much deliberation and reflection, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the most suitable person to assume the office of Vice President of the United States is Senator JD Vance of the Great State of Ohio.”
Moments before the announcement, Associated Press sources said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum were informed they had not been selected.
Trump made the announcement on the same day that the Republican National Convention began in Milwaukee.
It remains unclear whether Saturday’s alleged assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania changed the former president’s thinking about his potential running mate. But in a call with Fox News Channel host Bret Baier, he said he plans to reveal his pick on Monday.
After Saturday’s incident, the decision on a vice presidential candidate carries much more gravity. If a bullet had hit a little to the right, Trump would likely have been killed or seriously injured.
The tight race highlights the importance of a job that is just a step away from the presidency. Trump has repeatedly said that choosing someone who is qualified to take over as commander in chief was his top consideration for the job.
“You need someone who can be good just in case, and horrible just in case,” he said in an interview on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” in May.
In an interview with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner taped hours before the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, Trump was asked how close he was to picking his vice president and whether his decision-making would change if President Joe Biden drops out of the race.
“It’s a very important position, especially if something bad were to happen,” Trump said. “That’s the most important thing, if something bad were to happen.”
Before the incident, Trump had made clear that he wanted to dramatically unveil his choice at the convention, which he said would make it more “interesting” and “exciting.”
“It’s like a very sophisticated version of ‘The Apprentice,’” he joked in a radio interview last week, referring to the show he once starred on that saw him fire contestants in front of cameras.
Trump and convention organizers have announced that the Republican National Convention schedule will continue as planned despite the shooting, with Trump writing on his social media account that he could not “allow a ‘shooter’ or potential assassin to cause a change in the schedule, or anything else.”
“At this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand together and show our true character as Americans by staying strong and determined and not allowing evil to win,” he wrote.
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