Business mogul Donald Trump has a clear path to the Republican presidential nomination now that Ohio Gov. John Kasich has suspended his campaign.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Trump -- who is expected to reveal his vice presidential pick in July, just ahead of the Republican National Convention -- has hired retired neurosurgeon and former GOP presidential hopeful Ben Carson to help select his running mate.
Advertisement
So who could run alongside The Donald? Several Republicans have said they're just not interested and an adviser to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush openly laughed at the idea of him serving.
Still, some choices remain. Check out our short list of potential VP candidates:
Ben Carson
Carlo Allegri/Reuters
Even though Trump called Carson a child molester, he was delighted when the former neurosurgeon endorsed his campaign in March. In his endorsement, Carson said that there were "two different Trumps" and he was endorsing the more cerebral version of the candidate.
Carson, who is seen as a political outsider like Trump, could also help the presumptive nominee make inroads with evangelical voters. Let’s just hope he’s a better VP than a campaign surrogate.
Carson, who is seen as a political outsider like Trump, could also help the presumptive nominee make inroads with evangelical voters. Let’s just hope he’s a better VP than a campaign surrogate.
Chris Christie
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
The New Jersey governor's endorsement of Trump in February came as a surprise to many and gave Trump a high-profile surrogate. Christie failed to pick up much traction during his run, but could be a formidable attack dog on the campaign trail.
Being vice president would also require Christie to spend a lot of time standing behind Trump on television, which could be a problem.
Being vice president would also require Christie to spend a lot of time standing behind Trump on television, which could be a problem.
Sarah Palin
Kamil Krzaczynski/Reuters
The former Alaska governor, who stepped down from her position in 2009, has been a part of the veepstakes before. Trump has played up Palin's January endorsement of him, though her actual endorsement speech was just bizarre.
Picking Palin might be an obvious appeal for women’s votes, though it shouldn’t be -- Palin has disappointed women’s rights activists since she ran for veep in 2008 and recently defended Trump’s anti-abortion views.
Picking Palin might be an obvious appeal for women’s votes, though it shouldn’t be -- Palin has disappointed women’s rights activists since she ran for veep in 2008 and recently defended Trump’s anti-abortion views.
Rick Scott
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Florida governor, elected to a second term in 2014, has known Trump for a while, was in business before coming to politics and could help in a crucial swing state during the general election. But not everyone’s a fan, and this video of a woman loudly calling Scott “an asshole” in a Starbucks may not be a good look for a potential VP.
Tom Brady
USA Today Sports/Reuters
One of Trump's "Make America Great Again" hats was spotted in the locker of the Patriots star quarterback last year, and Brady has called Trump a "good friend."
Still, Brady may want to resolve his own legal woes before jumping into the campaign.
Still, Brady may want to resolve his own legal woes before jumping into the campaign.
Jon Huntsman
ERIC THAYER/Reuters
Huntsman refused to seek Trump's support when he was running for president in 2012, but recently came around to the idea of a Trump presidency.
“We've had enough intraparty fighting. Now's the time to stitch together a winning coalition,” Huntsman told Politico last month. "And it's been clear almost from the beginning that Donald Trump has the ability to assemble a nontraditional bloc of supporters. … The ability to cut across traditional party boundaries — like ’80, ’92 and 2008 — will be key, and Trump is much better positioned to achieve that.”
“We've had enough intraparty fighting. Now's the time to stitch together a winning coalition,” Huntsman told Politico last month. "And it's been clear almost from the beginning that Donald Trump has the ability to assemble a nontraditional bloc of supporters. … The ability to cut across traditional party boundaries — like ’80, ’92 and 2008 — will be key, and Trump is much better positioned to achieve that.”
Omarosa Manigault
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
The former star of “The Apprentice” has been a prominent surrogate for Trump on the campaign trail. Picking Omarosa probably wouldn't help Trump's favorability ratings, given that she was seen as a villain on his show.
Bobby Jindal
CNBC via Getty Images
Despite once calling Trump a “narcissist” and an “egomaniac”, Jindal said Tuesday he would vote for Trump in November, though he’s “not happy about it.”
Maybe if Jindal were VP, he could help the GOP “stop being the stupid party.”
Maybe if Jindal were VP, he could help the GOP “stop being the stupid party.”
Mark Cuban
Mike Blake/Reuters
Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks, said back in February he’d do a better a job as president than Trump, but later stated he’d agree to be the business mogul’s VP on one condition.
"As long as he said he's listen to me in everything I said we'd be okay,” Cuban told Sports Day.
"As long as he said he's listen to me in everything I said we'd be okay,” Cuban told Sports Day.
Jeff Sessions
Bill Clark/Getty Images
The endorsement of the Alabama senator was a coup for Trump and helped to fend off attacks from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that Trump wasn't serious about his immigration plans. When he endorsed Trump, Sessions admitted Trump wasn't perfect but said he was the most likely to fix the country's immigration system.
Sessions, who has been in the Senate since 1997, could bring a sense of Washington experience to Trump's campaign.
Sessions, who has been in the Senate since 1997, could bring a sense of Washington experience to Trump's campaign.
Bobby Knight
Bloomberg via Getty Images
The infamous Indiana Hoosiers head coach recently endorsed Trump, calling the business mogul “the most prepared man in history” to be commander in chief. But it probably wouldn’t hurt for Trump to get a little help from someone who can strategize.
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
Before You Go
