Some of the candidates rumored to be potential running mates for former President Donald Trump will be present in Atlanta for Thursday’s presidential debate. Over the past weekend in Philadelphia, Trump told reporters that he has made his vice-presidential pick, though as of last Saturday, the chosen candidate had not been informed, according to NBC’s Jake Traylor. Trump also mentioned that his VP pick would attend the debate on Thursday.
While the CNN-hosted debate will not have a live audience due to a requirement set by the Biden campaign, a number of candidates on former President Trump’s shortlist have confirmed that they will be in Atlanta during the debate.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who transitioned from relative political obscurity to a notable figure within the conservative base during his GOP presidential campaign, has confirmed he will be in Atlanta on Thursday. Although Ramaswamy wasn’t officially listed among the candidates reportedly undergoing the vetting process, his name has been circulating as a potential running mate for former President Trump since he ended his presidential bid and endorsed Trump earlier this year. In addition to Ramaswamy, a number of candidates who were on the alleged shortlist will also be in Atlanta, including Dr. Ben Carson, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH).
Earlier this month, ABC News reported that seven candidates had received documents from the Trump Campaign and were in the early stages of a vetting process. In addition to Scott, Burgum, Vance, and Carson, additional candidates on the list include Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). Rubio, Stefanik, and Donalds have also confirmed that they will be in Atlanta for the debate, meaning that all seven candidates on the alleged shortlist will be in attendance.
“Trump is looking for three things,” one Trump Campaign insider recently told the New York Post. “He’s looking for who can raise money, he’s looking for who is an effective surrogate on TV with adversarial media, and he’s looking at who will do the best job debating Kamala Harris.”