Potential Trump candidates for VP attend the Atlanta debate to discredit his record, and present their arguments

Sens. J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will be on the scene.

By Soo Rin Kim, Hannah Demissie, Lalee Ibssa , Kelsey Walsh, Julian Kim, Galen Druke

Jun 28, 2024 05:01 AM

 

As former President Donald Trump and his team continue to tease his vice presidential pick , his potential VP contenders were gathering in Atlanta Thursday to support the former president around the debate and make a case that they’re the best choice to be his running mate.

Potential vice-presidential candidates Potential vice presidential candidates, including Senators. J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are among the hundreds of campaign surrogates. is expected to have at the ground in Atlanta and in the debate spin room following as well as at a watch-party that the campaign will hold on Thursday evening, where faithful patrons and supporters will meet.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Atlanta on Thursday afternoon after leaving his Mar-a-Lago Club at Palm Beach, and is being confident and ready Trump’s senior advisers to his campaign have told ABC News.

As Trump was slated to address the debate stage on Thursday afternoon Trump’s campaign is currently fundraising on his highly-anticipated running mate choice, which suggests that the candidate could be in attendance during the debate.

“Do you wish to meet my Vice President during the debate? It’s possible however, you won’t know until I announce the official announcement of my VP!” a Trump campaign fundraising email that was sent to supporters on Thursday morning stated.

Trump for several weeks has said that he’s planning to announce his vice-presidential candidate at his Republican National Convention scheduled to be held next month. Trump recently has been hinting at the possibility of his running mate joining him at Atlanta, announcing to the people he was addressing at a campaign event in Philadelphia this week that his vice president would “most likely” be in the audience at the debate.

In recent months, Trump has also been asking his supporters at fundraising events whom they would like to be his running mate. He has also been sending fundraising emails to donors with small amounts in the form of a similar question.

Those on the vice president shortlist, which includes Vance, Rubio and Burgum — remained still on the day of the debate as they geared up to show their support for their Republican candidate. Others Trump surrogates are on the road with their media, making small campaign appearances at Atlanta on Wednesday, and also making appearances on TV early on Thursday early in the morning.

In a taped interview with “Fox and Friends,” South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott said he had said to Trump “never forget the provocative racial past of Joe Biden,” when asked if he had helped the former president preparation to debate.

“Donald Trump has done more for progress from a racial perspective economically than any president in my lifetime,” Scott added. “He should focus on that.”

Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds was being asked to CNN Thursday morning if he was expecting Trump to speak about looking ahead as a nation in the debate instead of looking back at the past, said that the former president is looking ahead, however he could remain vocal on the 2020 presidential election as well as the trial for hush money and the verdict.

“If you’ve been on a trail with the president — I’ve been on a trail with him — if you listen to everything that he says, he’s been talking a lot, significantly, a lot about what’s going on in our country, inflation, the border, foreign policy, all the issues that really matter to the American people,” Donalds declared.

Donalds along with GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt have made a series of campaign surrogate stops in Atlanta on Wednesday, to woo black voters for Trump and Wesley Hunt, making stops at the local barbershop as well as a cigar lounge.

Trump attended the barbershop on Wednesday, praising his administration’s track record, blasted CNN prior to Thursday’s debate, and reiterated his claim that he’s gaining traction from the Black community due to his indictments.

“Since that happened, the Black support, I think my representatives will tell you this, the Black support has gone through the roof and, I guess they equated to problems that they’ve had,” Trump declared.

The watch party on Thursday evening, Trump is expected to give remarks after the debate, Burgum, Vance, Rubio, Donalds, Hunt as along with Rep. Elise Stefanik, the former Trump Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Sen. Lindsey Graham are scheduled to be featured guests.