Biden Troubles May Sway Trump's VP Pick

Donald Trump told Sean Hannity on Monday night that he hasn't settled on his pick for a running mate—and may hold off until next week's Republican convention. "I think it would be a very interesting buildup and important for the convention," he said, per Time. "It will make it even more exciting." One wild card in the last-minute deliberations is how uncertainty about President Biden's candidacy could factor into Trump's pick. Coverage:

• Short list: The DC consensus has three names at the top of the list: Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and JD Vance of Ohio, as well as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. The Washington Post assesses the pro and cons of each, with Vance most appealing to the MAGA camp, Burgum the least controversial (though "it's hard to see who would be excited by Burgum's selection," writes Aaron Blake), and Rubio somewhere in the middle.

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• Biden factor: The drama regarding the Democratic ticket has Trump feeling more confident about his prospects and thus perhaps more willing to pick a "firebrand" such as Vance over the safer, "lower-key" alternatives, reports Axios. Boding well for Vance is that he "is closest to Trump's ideological match" and is friends with Donald Trump Jr.
• The timing: The AP notes that Trump has a rally in Florida on Tuesday night at which Rubio will be in attendance. And on Saturday, Trump will be in Pennsylvania, near Vance's home turf of Ohio. The front-runners insist they've heard nothing beyond being vetted by Trump's team.
• Others: Of course, Trump could always throw a curveball. He confirmed to Hannity that Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is in contention, and others mentioned are Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, and former Housing Secretary Ben Carson.

(More Donald Trump 2024 stories.)