Former President Trump said his running mate would “probably” be present when he met with House and Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill on Thursday, adding an intriguing twist to the long-anticipated decision.
President Trump told Fox News’ Aisha Hasni that he hasn’t yet decided who his running mate will be.
“I have a pretty good idea,” he said. “Look, we have some pretty talented people. I have a pretty good idea.”
Trump’s meeting at the Capitol marked his first return to the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol since the Jan. 6 riot and his first time speaking with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whose relationship has been strained and worsened by Trump’s denial of the results of the 2020 election.
The meeting comes as Republicans in both houses of Congress are beginning to craft ambitious policy plans in case President Trump is re-elected and Republicans take control of both houses of Congress.
“It was positive,” McConnell told reporters after the meeting.
“He and I had a chance to speak. We shook hands a few times. He received a lot of standing ovations,” he said. “It was a completely positive meeting. I can’t think of anything negative to say about the meeting.”
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nevada) said the atmosphere at the House meeting was less of a policy debate and more of an urging for lawmakers to “vote with their team,” adding that the former president received multiple standing ovations.
The final list of vice presidential candidates includes Reps. Byron Donald (R-FL) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
Trump said earlier this week that he would announce his candidacy at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next month.
