Here’s a look at Trump’s vice presidential list and why each candidate could make the cut or fall short.

NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — donald trump has narrowed its list of vice presidential candidates to a handful of candidates as it prepares to announce its choice in the days before – or perhaps even – Next month’s Republican National Convention.

He told reporters Saturday that he has already made his decision and that the person will be present Thursday night in Atlanta at first debate of the general election campaign against the Democratic president Joe Biden.

Trump’s pick would likely become the immediate front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination four years from now if Trump were to win a second term, the constitutional limit. But this number 2 will be under immense pressure from Trump and his allies to show loyalty at all times.

Trump turned on his first vice president, Mike Pence, after Pence rejected his boss’s efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 elections, based on false theories promoted by the then president after his defeat to Biden.

Pence refused to support Trump this time.

Trump has said his main consideration for a vice president is whether someone is qualified to take on the role of commander in chief.

But there are other factors at play: who can raise the money? Who performs well on television? Who will be most effective in the debate against Vice President Kamala Harris? Who runs the risk of overshadowing Trump, like a lame duck if he is elected in November, talking soon about 2028? And who has “the look”?

The Trump campaign has repeatedly warned that anyone who “claims to know who or when President Trump will choose his vice president is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump.”

And given Trump’s penchant for unpredictability and drama, the best-laid plans could change.

A look at the top candidates heading to the convention in Milwaukee, which begins July 15.

Trump likes rich people. The two-term governor of North Dakota is definitely rich.

Before serving as governor, Burgum led a software company that was acquired by Microsoft for more than $1 billion. He also worked in real estate development and venture capital and spent millions on his own White House bid.

Burgum initially ran against Trump for the 2024 nomination, but the little-known governor of a sparsely populated state gained little traction. When Burgum withdrew his offerhe quickly endorsed the former president. Since then, Burgum has become one of Trump’s most visible defenders, appearing frequently on television, joining him at fundraisers and traveling to New York for Trump’s criminal trial.

But more than that, Trump and Burgum got along well personally.

Burgum and his wife, Kathryn, are said to get along especially well with Trump and his team — the kind of relationship that holds particular importance in Trump’s orbit. It doesn’t hurt that Trump thinks Burgum looks the part — a “central casting” choice.

Burgum’s selection would, in some ways, represent an echo of Pence: a sober, uncontroversial governor with less national name recognition. Burgum, 67, is unlikely to compete with Trump for the spotlight or immediately overshadow him with talk of 2028.

Burgum also brings money and rich friends to the table.

But does the Republican Party want two older white people at the top of the ticket?

Swept to national spotlight for his best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance has been in office for less than two years. But during his short time in the Senate, the former Ohio venture capitalist has established himself as one of the fiercest defenders of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda, especially when it comes to foreign policy, trade and immigration.

Despite his initial criticism of Trump, Vance became personally close to the former president and his son Donald Trump Jr., who spoke with the senator. Vance has become a fixture on the conservative media circuit, frequently sparring with reporters at the Capitol and appearing with Trump at recent fundraisers and in court.

At 39, Vance would inject some millennial energy into a race that features an 81-year-old man (Biden) and a 78-year-old man (Trump) at the top of the major party tickets. And a debate with Harris would certainly be heated.

But can Trump overcome Vance’s record of past insults, which he still mentions?

In 2016, Vance was one of Trump’s fiercest critics, calling the then-reality TV star “a total fraud” and a “moral disaster” and calling him “America’s Hitler.”

Vance said Trump’s performance in office proved him wrong and the senator is now castigating liberals who turned his book into a bestseller while seeking a window into understanding Trumpism.

If Vance’s selection excites Trump’s base, the Florida senator’s selection could increase the ticket’s appeal, especially among deep-pocketed donors and more moderate, establishment-minded Republicans turned off by Trump’s rhetoric and extremism.

Rubio, once seen as a Republican Party bigwig, is now a respected voice on foreign policy and national security issues in his party. The son of Cuban immigrants, he speaks Spanish and could help Trump win over the Hispanic voters his campaign is enthusiastically courting.

Rubio is also seen as a skilled debater who could stand up to Harris.

Running alongside Trump may have seemed like an unlikely possibility, given that the two were rivals in 2016 for the Republican Party nomination and violently attacked each other. Trump belittled Rubio as “Little Marco,” mocked him for drinking water during speeches and called him a “nervous loser” who was “disgusting.” Rubio said Trump was a “con man” who tried to “scam” the Republican Party and Rubio tried to question Trump’s masculinity.

“You know what they say about men with small hands,” Rubio joked at one point during the campaign.

But there is also Rubio’s “problem” in Florida, as Trump called it.

The Constitution says that two candidates from the same state cannot run for president and vice president, meaning Rubio would need to change residence — something he would be willing to do.

But does he really want the job? Rubio has been noticeably less publicly present than some of the others vying for Trump’s No. 2 job and did not appear with Trump at his criminal trial.

The only black Republican in the Senate, the South Carolinian would bring Racial and stylistic diversity for Republican Party entry as well as the touch of a preacher. The self-described “born-again believer” frequently quotes Scripture in political speeches that often reach a call-and-response crescendo.

Scott and Trump worked closely while Trump was in the White House on a range of policy issues, including Trump’s tax cuts, opportunity zones and criminal justice reform legislation.

Although Scott ran against Trump for the nomination this year, the senator has largely refused to criticize the former president. After failing to gain traction despite millions spent on his behalf by high-profile donors, Scott endorsed Trump over South Carolina’s Nikki Haley, Trump’s UN ambassador, and immediately began campaigning enthusiastically in New Hampshire and South Carolina on behalf of Trump.

He continues to make frequent television appearances and recently released a $14 million campaign to win over minority voters in seven key swing states.

Trump has often joked that Scott was a much better surrogate than a candidate.

But it also raised questions about Scott’s performance in a debate with Harris later this year.

The only woman on his list, the New York congresswoman could help Trump win over the skeptical suburban and college-educated women who sided with Biden in 2020.

Stefanik was a former aide to former House Speaker Paul Ryan and served in President George W. Bush’s White House, working for two Republicans now shunned by Trump supporters. But during Trump’s four years in office, she transformed herself into a full-fledged Trump acolyte.

She defended him vigorously at both of his impeachment trials and criticized his criminal charges. In 2022, Stefanik was the first member of House Republican leadership to endorse Trump’s campaign, and did so before he even announced.

She saw her profile rise behind her aggressive questioning in December of a trio of university presidents about anti-Semitism on campus that led to two of his firings. Trump has repeatedly praised this performance.

Stefanik has spent years ingratiating herself with Trump and positioning herself as one of his most trusted allies and confidants on Capitol Hill.

But as a member of the House, does she have enough experience?

Relationships and trust are important to Trump. Carson, who served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Trump administration, developed a strong bond with the former president over the years, despite a controversial start as rivals in 2016.

A soft-spoken, renowned former neurosurgeon, Carson, 72, could help Trump win over minority voters as the first black person to be named to a Republican presidential ticket. Given Carson’s age and demeanor, there is little chance he will upstage Trump or steal the spotlight.

But Carson also has a history of controversial comments about abortion, guns and other issues that could cause headaches for the ticket.

The Florida congressman has become one of Trump’s most prominent black conservative supporters and a reliable surrogate on television and at events.

His selection could help bolster Trump’s appeal to black voters, especially younger black men who the campaign has been courting as it tries to consume Biden’s 2020 coalition.

At 45, Donalds is also the kind of fresh face who would represent a marked contrast to the men at the top of both parties’ tickets.

But like Rubio, Donalds would likely need to change to join the ticket. And he also has a history of controversial statements, including at a recent “Congress, Cognac and Cigars” event in Philadelphia, where he appeared to reflect favorably on the Jim Crow era by talking about “the reinvigoration” of the Black Party. family.

“See, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, not only were more blacks conservative — blacks have always had a conservative mindset — but more blacks voted conservative,” Donalds said, according to Philadelphia Inquirer audio.