NEW YORK —Whoever the future Republican vice presidential candidate is, his plane is already in a hangar and its location has not been revealed. There is a blank spot on the deck where a sign with his name will be placed.
Fundraising events have already been scheduled.
The only thing missing: former President Donald Trump revealing who he chose as his running mate as he heads toward the November presidential election.
The campaign rally on Tuesday in the city of Doral would be an ideal moment to give the responsibility to one of the supposed candidates, Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio.
Longtime advisers and allies insist they do not know who Trump will pick. Some say the decision-making process is not over.
The decision will come amid turmoil among Democrats over whether Biden should withdraw from the race given his obvious mental and physical incapacity and all the crises he has created and left unresolved during his administration.
The crisis of the Democrats
The Democrats’ internal crisis has given Trump a bigger lead in the polls, even in key states. This week, Trump will have multiple opportunities to make a splash or give clearer hints about his possible running mate, which his team has kept extremely secretive.
“It could happen at any time this week,” Trump adviser Jason Miller said in an interview on Fox News.
Trump has two campaign events planned for this week. The first will be Tuesday afternoon at his golf club in Doral, Florida, near Miami. The prime time and location of the event seem ideal if he decides on Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida who was born in Miami and is one of the candidates mentioned for the post.
Rubio will be present at the event, said an aide familiar with the senator’s plans who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity about the selection process.
On Saturday, Trump will travel to Pennsylvania for an evening event at the Butler Farm Show. The venue, located outside Pittsburgh, is not far from the border with Ohio, home of another vice presidential hopeful, Senator JD Vance.
Also mentioned was North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who has grown close to the former president since dropping out of his own nomination race before voting began.
Trump doesn’t need a campaign rally to make his decision known. He could simply announce it on his Truth Social platform any time between now and the Republican National Convention, which begins in Milwaukee on July 15. Or he could wait until after the convention has started to make an on-stage announcement, a la his reality show “The Apprentice.”
Trump has repeatedly said he will make his decision just before or during the convention. But he has been coy about his choice.
Last month, before the debate, Trump told NBC News at a campaign rally in Philadelphia that he had already made up his mind.
