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Donald Trump and His Children Meet With Mike Pence Donald Trump and His Children Meet With Mike Pence
(about 5 hours later)
Donald J. Trump and his children met Wednesday morning with Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana and his family at the governor’s home, as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee entered the final stages of selecting a running mate. Stranded in Indianapolis on Wednesday after an aircraft malfunction, Donald J. Trump did what any gifted showman with a national campaign to run would do: He brought the presidential circus to him.
The meeting was only one that Mr. Trump had scheduled on Wednesday, however; Newt Gingrich, who is also under consideration for the ticket, was also in Indiana, and a longer-shot choice, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, was en route to the state in the early afternoon, according to two people familiar with the plans. Mr. Trump, who is approaching a self-imposed deadline for selecting a running mate, met throughout the day with three finalists for the position — including two, Newt Gingrich and Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, flown in solely for that purpose.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence were supposed to fly back to New York together on Tuesday night after they appeared at a rally in Indiana, but Mr. Trump, who is flying to California for fund-raisers, instead stayed in the state and decided to have some of his adult children meet him there. Two people briefed on Mr. Trump’s travels said his plane had a mechanical problem that prevented the candidate, who dislikes spending time away from home, from flying back to New York. A third candidate, Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, huddled at his home on Wednesday morning with Mr. Trump and his children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Mr. Trump’s sons Don Jr. and Eric, his daughter Ivanka, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, joined the candidate at Mr. Pence’s home. So did Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman. Reporters camped out outside, with some cable news networks monitoring Mr. Trump’s departure from the home at around 10:30 a.m. In a scene more reminiscent of television entertainment than a standard presidential campaign, a crush of reporters monitored Mr. Trump’s departure from Mr. Pence’s home, and the comings and goings of vice-presidential prospects from Mr. Trump’s hotel throughout the day.
The candidate’s adult children hold sway with their father, and would have to be comfortable with anyone Mr. Trump chooses to run for vice president on his ticket. In some respects, the display resembled a late-season episode of a television dating show, in which various suitors meet the family of their prospective spouse, in a taxing final test of compatibility and commitment.
Mr. Kushner and Ms. Trump are said to feel warmly about Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker who has emerged as a leading defender of Mr. Trump. At least one vice-presidential contender approached the moment with a degree of lightheartedness. Mr. Gingrich, when asked why he was in Indiana, acknowledged he was going to meet with Mr. Trump’s children.
Mr. Kushner, in particular, is said to like the type of help that Mr. Gingrich, an intellectual with a deep knowledge of the mechanics of Washington, could provide his father-in-law in navigating the Capitol, and serving almost in a prime minister-type role. But others close to the process say that Mr. Kushner is not advocating for Mr. Gingrich over other candidates. “See the kids, go to the zoo,” said Mr. Gingrich, a former speaker of the House. (Though he is an animal lover and is known to visit local zoos, Mr. Gingrich clarified he was kidding about visiting the Indianapolis Zoo).
Mr. Trump hosted Mr. Pence and his wife, Karen, and one of Mr. Pence’s daughters at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., nearly two weeks ago. But Mr. Trump’s children were not present for that meeting, and neither was Mr. Manafort. Mr. Trump gave no indication on Wednesday that he was nearing a decision about the second slot on the Republican ticket. In recent days, he has given conflicting signals about his main criteria for filling the job.
As for Mr. Gingrich, asked what he was doing in the state, he acknowledged he was going to meet with Mr. Trump’s children. “See the kids, go to the zoo,” said Mr. Gingrich. (Though he is an animal lover and is known to often make time to visit local zoos, he clarified he was only kidding about visiting the Indianapolis Zoo). His sudden series of back-to-back conversations with vice-presidential finalists gave at least the impression of indecision, with little time left on the clock to make his choice. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump posted on Twitter that he would announce his running mate at 11 a.m. Eastern on Friday, just ahead of the Republican convention in Cleveland, which begins next Monday.
Mr. Trump also spoke by phone with a fourth vice-presidential contender, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who was in Washington for meetings related to his role leading the candidate’s transition team, according to two people briefed on the call. In addition to the three candidates who met Wednesday with the Trump family, Mr. Trump also spoke by phone with Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, the leader of Mr. Trump’s transition team, who has also been vetted as a potential running mate.
Among Mr. Trump’s advisers, Mr. Pence is seen as the lowest-risk option: a stolid if unspectacular choice, helpful for locking up conservative votes and perhaps boosting Mr. Trump’s appeal across the Midwest.
At the top levels of the Trump campaign, there was a high degree of optimism earlier in the week that Mr. Pence would connect on a personal level with Mr. Trump during a planned visit to Indiana, and thus dispense with his competition for the job. Republicans have even begun to prepare for Mr. Pence’s potential withdrawal from his race for re-election.
Yet Mr. Trump has so far given no particular signal of public enthusiasm for Mr. Pence. At a joint rally in Indiana on Tuesday, Mr. Trump mused that Mr. Pence could end up as vice president, but added, “Who the hell knows?”
Jeff Cardwell, the chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, said Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence appeared “very relaxed” together at a private fund-raising event in the state on Tuesday night. While there, Mr. Pence talked up Indiana’s economy, Mr. Cardwell said, and Mr. Trump said that many people outside the state had taken note of its economic performance.
Even as Mr. Trump’s political advisers have largely rallied around Mr. Pence, there remains considerable affection for Mr. Gingrich within the Trump family, particularly from Ivanka Trump and her husband, Mr. Kushner.
Mr. Gingrich has been an aggressive advocate for Mr. Trump, and he drew an enthusiastic response at a campaign rally in Ohio last week.
And Sheldon Adelson, the casino billionaire who is among the country’s most prolific Republican political donors, is said to have communicated to Mr. Trump’s camp that he would prefer Mr. Gingrich, according to two Republicans familiar with his views. Mr. Kushner has been Mr. Adelson’s frequent point of contact with the campaign in recent weeks.
Mr. Adelson, who spent millions of dollars supporting Mr. Gingrich’s unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2012, has promised to give generously to groups supporting Mr. Trump, but does not appear to have cut any significant checks yet.
Mr. Trump may be merely reviewing his list of options one last time before making up his mind. But to some Republicans who have observed him in recent days, Mr. Trump has also appeared genuinely uncertain of the best course forward, and perhaps even of his own preferences.
In interviews and private meetings, Mr. Trump has named different qualities as paramount in his choice of a running mate. Throughout the Republican primaries, Mr. Trump expressed a strong preference for a vice president with knowledge of Capitol Hill. During a fund-raiser on Long Island last weekend, Mr. Trump said it would be essential for him to feel a relaxed personal connection with his running mate, and that the person would have to exhibit a superior knowledge of government.
In an interview this week with The Wall Street Journal, he added another characteristic to the wish list: His running mate, Mr. Trump said, must be an “attack dog.” But in an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, he backtracked and said he was not looking for an attack dog.
The frenzied nature of Mr. Trump’s vice-presidential courtship underscores one of the recurring themes of his 2016 campaign: the presumptive nominee’s surprising remoteness from most of the other major figures in the Republican Party.
To the extent Mr. Trump places a premium on his personal relationship with a running mate, Mr. Christie or Mr. Gingrich may have a leg up, as he has been friends with both men over the years.
Mr. Pence, the favorite of the Trump political team and national Republican Party officials, is a comparatively unfamiliar face. If he would seem to be the safe choice politically, it would constitute a rare foray for Mr. Trump — going outside his personal comfort zone to make, perhaps, his most important decision of the general election.