Donald Trump is coming to Capitol Hill to rally the GOP troops roughly two weeks before he’s slated to accept his party’s nomination for president at the GOP convention in Cleveland, but the crowd might be a little thin.
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But Ernst told Politico she favors Indiana Gov. Mike Pence for the V.P. slot because of his mix of executive and legislative experience. Bob Corker has withdrawn his name as a possible running mate for Donald Trump.
Mike Coffman, one of the House Democrats’ top targets in November, told CNN, “I’m not going to be able to make it. I’ve got a conflict”.
Trump has called for immigration reform “that serves the interest and values of America” and has said he would suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States and its allies.
A few years ago, Corker wondered aloud whether the gridlocked Senate was worth a grown man’s time and considered retiring.
News reported Tuesday night that Corker submitted vetting materials to the Trump campaign as a formal consideration for the role. She’s a retired National Guard lieutenant colonel who served in the Iraq war, and she’s the first female veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate. And despite his close communication with Trump’s family members – and campaign chair Paul Manafort himself – some within the campaign remain cool to him as a potential pick because of what’s seen as his uncontrollability as a campaign surrogate.
The Tennessee senator, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had privately wrestled with whether to be a contender for the No. 2 position, telling friends he had never been a surrogate for another politician. We should find out who Trump has selected next week.
“I will probably participate more as an advocate”, Ernst said.
But in May, the senator had a private, hourlong meeting with Trump at Trump Tower in NY, stoking the speculation he could be Trump’s running mate.
One source within the Trump campaign suggested that Manafort may not be enthusiastic about a Gingrich pick because he “cannot control a Gingrich, whereas he can control a Pence”.
Indeed, it may have been Corker’s staunch disagreements on key foreign policy issues, such as Trump’s proposed ban on Muslim immigration, which caused the senator to refuse a possible spot as running-mate.
“It was a great meeting”, Ernst said, “and I enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with him and talk more about what’s important to us”.
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“You know, it’s a highly political role for the next four months”, he said. “I’ve got a job to do here”.
