Trump reportedly called people at midnight asking if he could change VP pick

Ivan Levingston
Updated
Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images. Wall Street is expecting a typical Republican administration, but the new president instead will be turning a generation of GOP orthodoxy inside out.

When Indiana Gov. Mike Pence 's plane touched down in New York Thursday, his naming as Donald Trump 's vice presidential pick appeared locked up.

However, NBC News reports that Trump continued to deliberate late into the evening, waffling over his running mate selection up until midnight and asking aides if he could change his pick.

The reports are surprising given Trump previously announced he would be naming his vice presidential pick Friday at 11 a.m. in New York City, and reports from Thursday evening seemed to confirm Trump had chosen Pence. CNN reported the news as well.

However, the campaign flatly denied those reports, saying there was "zero truth" to them.

Word of Trump's indecision adds credence to claims that Trump's inner circle was divided over the VP appointment, with reports circulating that top aide Paul Manafort was in favor of Pence while influential son-in-law Jared Kushner was in favor of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich . New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was also among the finalists on the shortlist.

Around 7 p.m. Thursday, Trump tweeted out that he had canceled his news conference regarding his vice presidential pick, saying it was in light of the deadly truck attack in Nice, France.

However, by Friday morning — perhaps spurred by an impending electoral filing deadline Pence faced — Trump took to Twitter again to make the formal announcement .



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