The speculation about Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick has reached a fever pitch, with the businessman summoning candidates to Indiana as he nears a final decision.
Trump and his children have met in recent days with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) in what appears to be the final stage in the vetting process.
{mosads}Throwing a curveball into the mix, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), an early Trump backer and close adviser, boarded a plane Wednesday afternoon to Indiana for his own talk with the presumptive Republican nominee.
Trump has said he plans to “showcase” his running mate on Friday and is running out of time to make his choice ahead of the Republican National Convention, set to begin on Monday in Cleveland.
The billionaire has provided a few clues about what he’s looking for in a No. 2, telling The Wall Street Journal he needs an “attack dog” and a “fighter skilled in hand-to-hand combat.”
“I’m getting attacked from all sides,” Trump told the Journal.
Cable news networks are camping out at the Indiana location where Trump is staying, providing updates on every arrival and departure.
The crush of media attention reflects the importance of the vice presidential pick for Trump, who is trying to unify a Republican Party that remains skeptical of his candidacy.
Trump has long signaled he wants a vice president with political experience who could help him navigate Washington and score legislative victories. Pence, Gingrich, Sessions and Christie would all fit that bill.
Christie and Gingrich would be popular picks in the GOP, according to a McClatchy-Marist poll released this week, but not with the nation at large.
Conservatives are rooting for Pence, a former House member widely respected in the party, to be the pick. But Pence has a mixed record in Indiana, a potential swing state, and it’s unclear how effective he’d be on the campaign trail.
Trump seems most comfortable with Christie, a longtime friend, of the people known to be on the shortlist. He has become part of Trump’s inner circle and was the first major Republican to endorse the candidate, back when the race for the nomination was still wide open.
But picking Christie would be a gamble. In addition to hailing from a blue state that Trump is unlikely to win, Christie is distrusted by conservatives, some of whom are threatening to revolt at the convention.
Gingrich could be a safer choice who would provide experience to a ticket facing off against Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, who has spent decades in national politics. Like Trump, Gingrich is known to speak his mind.
“You either have it or you don’t,” Trump told the Journal of personal chemistry. “I clearly have it with Chris and Newt.”
Another potential VP pick, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, was speaking on a panel at the conservative Heritage Foundation on Wednesday while others traveled to Indiana.
Trump has suggested that the election could hinge on national security, making military experience attractive in a running mate. But Flynn had a rocky national debut over the weekend, and he later walked back remarks suggesting support for abortion rights.
Trump, who regularly returns home to New York after campaign events, spent the night in downtown Indianapolis on Tuesday following an event with Pence. The candidate was forced to make the state his home base after his plane experienced mechanical problems, The Indianapolis Star reported.
The celebrity businessman has made a spectacle out of his VP selection the past two weeks, playfully mentioning potential candidates at rallies, praising possible picks in tweets and appearing with several in person at separate events. One of the candidates he appeared with, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, took himself out of the running.
Trump’s children appear to be intimately involved in the decision, bolstering the perception that they are the most influential advisers in his campaign.
Trump and his daughter Ivanka; her husband, Jared Kushner; Donald Trump Jr.; and Eric Trump met with Pence on Wednesday morning at the governor’s mansion, according to reports. Trump and his family met Tuesday with Christie.
Trump also spoke by phone with Christie on Wednesday and was meeting with Gingrich at the former Speaker’s request, according to reports, while Sessions was also headed to Indiana, a source close to the campaign told The Hill.
Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said Wednesday afternoon on CNN that Trump wants to pick someone he’d be comfortable with as a running mate and that the final word may come Thursday or Friday.