Speculation Swirls As Multiple Trump VP Candidates Flock To Atlanta For Trump-Biden Debate

A number of candidates who have long been rumored to be in the mix for former President Donald Trump’s running mate will be in Atlanta during Thursday’s presidential debate.

While speaking with reporters in Philadelphia last weekend, Trump confirmed that his vice-presidential selection has been made. According to a report from NBC’s Jake Traylor, the candidate had not yet been informed of the decision as of last Saturday, though Trump did add that they will be in attendance for Thursday’s debate.

While the CNN-hosted debate will not have a live audience after the Biden campaign made this a requirement, a number of candidates on former President Trump’s shortlist have confirmed that they will be in Atlanta during the debate.

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Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy — who entered the political arena as a political unknown before impressing the conservative base with his GOP presidential run — has confirmed that he will be in Atlanta on Thursday. While Ramaswamy’s name was not on the alleged shortlist of candidates who were reportedly going through the vetting process, his name has been floated as a potential Trump running mate since he suspended his presidential campaign and immediately endorsed the former president 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) also received requests for some level of background information.

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 insiders have long cautioned that the former president is still considering a number of “dark horse” names, including Ramaswamy and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, among others.

“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.”

Trump has hinted that his selection could be revealed prior to the start of tomorrow evening’s debate.