Potential Trump vice-presidential contenders in Atlanta debate to transform his performance and make their case

As former President Donald Trump and his team continue to tease his vice presidential pick, his potential vice presidential contenders gathered in Atlanta on Thursday to support the former president in the debate and make the case that they are the best choice to be his vice presidential candidate.

Potential vice presidential contenders, including Sens. JD Vance and Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, are among dozens of surrogates the campaign is expected to have on the ground in Atlanta, including in the Senate floor. debate after the session and at a watch party. The campaign will take place on Thursday evening, where loyal supporters and donors will gather.

Trump himself was scheduled to arrive in Atlanta later Thursday afternoon from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, and feels confident and ready, his top campaign advisers told ABC News.

With Trump scheduled to take the debate stage later Thursday, his campaign is raising money from the highly anticipated selection of its vice presidential nominee, suggesting that person could be present at the debate.

“Would you like to see my vice president at the debate?” They might be there, but you’ll never know until I make the OFFICIAL VP ANNOUNCEMENT! » says a fundraising email for the Trump campaign sent to supporters Thursday morning.

Trump has said for weeks that he would likely announce his running mate around the Republican National Convention scheduled for next month, but Trump recently teased the idea of ​​his potential running mate joining him at Atlanta, telling his supporters. during a retail campaign stop in Philadelphia last week, his vice president will “most likely” be present at the debate site.

In recent weeks, Trump has also asked his donors at fundraisers who they want to see as his running mate and sent fundraising emails to small donors asking the same question.

The vice presidential candidates — including Vance, Rubio and Burgum — remained mostly silent on the eve of the debate as they prepared to rally behind their Republican leader. Other Trump surrogates have been on a media tour, holding intimate campaign stops in Atlanta on Wednesday and making television appearances Thursday morning.

In a taped interview on “Fox and Friends,” South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott said he told Trump to “never forget Joe Biden’s racially provocative past,” when asked if he had helped the former president prepare for the debate.

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

Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, asked by CNN Thursday morning whether he expects Trump to discuss the future as a country during the debate rather than focusing on the past, said the former president looked to the future, but added that he might still comment on the future. 2020 elections, low-key trial and verdict.

“If you’ve been on a trail with the president — I’ve been on a trail with him — if you listen to everything he says, he’s talked 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 said.

Donalds and Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt made a surrogate campaign tour of Atlanta on Wednesday to court black voters on Trump’s behalf, stopping at a local barbershop and cigar lounge.

Trump convened the barbershop event earlier Wednesday, touting his administration’s record, bashing CNN ahead of Thursday’s debate and once again repeating his argument that he gains support from the black community because of his indictments.

“Since this happened, Black support, I think my representatives will tell you, Black support has exploded and, I guess, that equates to the problems that they’ve had,” Trump said.

At Thursday night’s watch party, where Trump is expected to potentially deliver post-debate remarks, Burgum, Vance, Rubio, Donalds, Hunt, as well as Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Sen. Lindsey Graham are scheduled to attend as featured guests.