Former President Donald Trump is under pressure to name his running mate before his July 11 hush money trial sentencing to make sure he has a surrogate in place should he be sent to prison.
Top advisers and even family members are growing concerned that New York Judge Juan Merchan will send Trump to jail, possibly the notorious Rikers Island facility, for his conviction on 34 felonies.
That move, coming just days before the Republican National Convention opens in Milwaukee, would rob the GOP nominee of a chance to personally make his case for a second term in the White House. Should he be jailed, that job will go to Trump’s No. 2 if he has one at the time.
Republican Party Co-Chair Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, said that the ex-president will be nominated no matter where he is. “It doesn’t matter whether Donald Trump is in Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago, or anywhere else they may try to put him,” she said.
Trump ally Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, is among those urging Trump to name his vice presidential pick earlier than his plan to do the unveiling at the convention.
“July 11 is going to go down as one of the most consequential days in American history. We have no idea what’s going to happen. We must contemplate the worst where Judge Merchan could say, ‘Oh 34 counts? Rikers Island right now,’ and no one would stop him. You could do that right there. Donald Trump could be thrown off and sentenced to prison,” Kirk told Secrets.
Kirk, who this week released his fourth book, Right Wing Revolution: How to Beat the Woke and Save the West, is eager to see Trump pick Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate. Trump is considering several people for the position and recently suggested it would be a House or Senate member.
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While many outside experts have suggested that Trump won’t face jail, the recent prison sentences for former presidential advisers Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro have raised fears that the justice system is out to get Trump and his team.
At a recent rally, Trump said, “They’re not after me, they’re after you … I’m just standing in the way.” He also features a photo of himself on his website with the words “Political Prisoner.”