Trump in no hurry as he leans into the pageantry of vice presidential tryouts

NEW YORK -- As erstwhile President Donald Trump remains stuck successful the courtroom listening to salacious details of an matter helium denies, different spectacle is playing retired successful the inheritance arsenic his vice statesmanlike tryouts get underway.

The dynamic was connected afloat show implicit the play astatine a closed-door fundraiser astatine his Mar-a-Lago nine that doubled arsenic an audition featuring a agelong database of imaginable moving mates. Trump, astatine 1 point, invited galore of the contenders connected signifier similar contestants successful 1 of his aged quality pageants. The adjacent time respective of them, including South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, South Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. Marco Rubio and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, fanned retired crossed Sunday quality shows to sing his praises.

“This weekend, we had 15 people. ... They’re each retired determination campaigning,” Trump told Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin connected Tuesday. "It mightiness really beryllium much effectual this mode because, you know, each 1 of them thinks they could beryllium chosen, which I conjecture perchance is so."

The comments show wherefore Trump is successful nary unreserved to prime his imaginable second-in-command oregon publically winnow his choices. For now, the presumptive GOP nominee is blessed to revel successful the attraction arsenic reporters parse his choices and prospective candidates jockey and woo him successful an “Apprentice”-style competition.

Trump has said helium intends to marque an announcement soon earlier July's Republican National Convention, arsenic helium did erstwhile helium picked then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence successful 2016.

“In the end, it’s up to him. He volition intuitively determine who should beryllium his vice president, and he’ll perceive to everybody up until that infinitesimal and past he’ll decide,” said erstwhile House Speaker Newt Gingrich, 1 of 3 finalists connected Trump’s 2016 list.

For candidates, helium said, if Trump calls and asks them to talk astatine a rally, “The close answer’s ‘yes.'” But determination are limits to their impact.

“Some of them effort to audition," Gingrich said, "but I ne'er thought it worked that well.”

For now, according to respective radical acquainted with his thinking, Trump continues to mull a agelong database of prospects: governors, senators and members of Congress, including immoderate who ran against him and lost. The radical spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon the fundraiser and backstage conversations. As Trump mulls his decision, helium is watching to spot who tin rise money, support him effectively, and execute astatine governmental events. He's particularly funny successful however they travel crossed connected television.

Part of what seems to person made the determination harder is that galore of the candidates nether superior information person knocks against them.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, 1 imaginable apical contender, could assistance Trump triumph implicit Hispanic voters arsenic good arsenic constitution donors inactive leery of a 2nd Trump term. But Rubio has a problem: He lives successful Florida, the aforesaid authorities arsenic Trump, which would interruption the Constitution's Twelfth Amendment.

Trump himself has raised the issue, including astatine Saturday's fundraising luncheon, wherever helium said helium liked Rubio, according to 1 of respective radical present, but noted the contented with his residency, calling it a problem.

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, a person of Trump's eldest lad who has go adjacent with the erstwhile president, is besides considered a apical contender. He impressed Trump allies with a CNN interrogation past week.

But Trump continues to enactment that Vance was a professional earlier helium became a protagonist — thing helium mentioned again astatine the Saturday lawsuit earlier praising Vance arsenic a large senator.

Scott, whom Trump has repeatedly joked is simply a acold amended surrogate than a candidate, besides has drawbacks. Scott pushed Trump to backmost a 15-week nationalist termination prohibition during the GOP primaries and his enactment would gully caller attraction to thing Trump has tried to destruct arsenic a run contented by insisting it should beryllium near to the states.

Those issues could assistance a campaigner similar Burgum, a billionaire who has traveled extensively with Trump since helium dropped his ain statesmanlike bid.

Others person seemed to trial the limits of what it takes to beryllium disqualified.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has faced a media tempest since reports emerged that she she wrote astir shooting a household canine to decease successful a publication released this week. Noem has besides been caught successful errors, including falsely claiming that she erstwhile met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. She has continued to look successful interviews defending her actions, drafting the storyline retired for days.

Trump, successful his Tuesday interview, continued to praise Noem, who astatine 1 constituent had been considered a apical contender, though helium acknowledged that "she had a unsmooth mates of days, I volition accidental that.”

Noem's star, successful fact, had been tarnished earlier the revelation of her canine sidesplitting amid questions astir her judgment, including her determination to look successful an infomercial-style video lavishing praise connected a squad of cosmetic dentists successful Texas.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, meanwhile, has besides been the taxable of antagonistic headlines. A caller audit suggested that her bureau whitethorn person breached the instrumentality erstwhile it purchased a $19,000 lectern — a ungraded dubbed “lecterngate” by some.

Sanders, who served arsenic Trump’s property caput astatine the White House, responded with Trumpian defiance, posting a 20-second video connected X featuring the bluish and wood-paneled lectern. The opening lyrics of Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement” played successful the inheritance and the words “come and instrumentality it” appeared connected the screen.

Sanders whitethorn inactive look much questions, with an audit of her question and information records pending. But her unapologetic effect reinforced her representation arsenic an acolyte of the Trump brand.

“In the Trump era, what utilized to beryllium a ungraded is nary longer a ungraded and what utilized to beryllium seen arsenic a liability is not truly arsenic overmuch of a liability,” said Kevin Madden, who was a elder advisor to erstwhile Republican statesmanlike nominee Mitt Romney. “Trump has an quality to artifact retired the sun.”

Provocative comments that could person been a liability successful past predetermination cycles could besides beryllium assets for candidates similar Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who has urged the nationalist to “take matters into your ain hands” if they brushwood pro-Palestinian protesters blocking traffic.

“Anyone claiming to cognize who oregon erstwhile President Trump volition take his VP is lying, unless the idiosyncratic is named Donald J. Trump,” elder run advisor Brian Hughes said successful an emailed statement.

Trump continues to support publically and privately that the “most important thing” successful a imaginable prime is whether they would beryllium a bully president if called upon — and that helium doesn't deliberation the prime is apt to alteration the trajectory of the race.

“VPs person ne'er truly helped successful the predetermination process,” helium said Tuesday. “It’s a one-day story, it’s a large story, and past it’s backmost to work. They privation to truly cognize who’s No. 1 connected the ticket." ___

Mascaro reported from Washington and DeMillo from Little Rock, Arkansas.