Donald Trump says there's a 'pretty good chance' he will announce VP pick in Milwaukee at Republican National Convention

Former President Donald Trump seems likely to announce his running mate in Milwaukee at the Republican National Convention this July, he said in an interview on NBC news affiliate TMJ4 Thursday morning.

"That's probably a pretty good chance, I would say. I don't say anything is 100 percent, but you're getting pretty close. I'll be doing it in Milwaukee," Trump said.

Trump previously hinted in May that he wouldn't name his pick until mid-July, saying in a radio interview that he's "really a believer that you do it during the convention." The RNC will be held July 15-18.

Potential names on Trump's list for vice president include Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.; Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio; Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem; and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

In the past few election cycles, running mates were announced immediately before the convention began.

In 2016, Trump selected former Vice President Mike Pence on July 15, three days before the RNC started in Cleveland that year. Hillary Clinton also announced her running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a few days before the DNC. In 2020, President Joe Biden announced Vice President Kamala Harris as his pick on Aug. 11, about a week before the DNC began.

Trump emphasized the importance of bringing the convention to Milwaukee, the largest city in a critical battleground state, and said he hopes voters will remember the economic impact of the RNC.

"(Wisconsin) really is an important state for us. Wisconsin has to be won by us, we want to win it. If we win Wisconsin, I think we win the whole thing," Trump said.

Trump was also asked about Wisconsin Republican Party officials encouraging early voting in 2024 by visiting an in-person absentee location or mailing in an absentee ballot.

Trump said he endorses early voting, but added he wants one-day voting. That conflicts with how early voting works in Wisconsin, which allows multiple days of early voting ahead of the election, not just one day.

"I do, I just encourage voting period. But certainly, early voting is something that is happening. I want to get back to paper ballots, same-day voting and voter ID," Trump said. "I want to get back to the same-day ballot, one day. Everybody votes in one day."

That was a similar sentiment that Trump repeated at a rally in Waukesha earlier this month. Top Republicans in the state, including party chairman Brian Schimming and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, urged crowds at his rallies to vote early.

More: Will early voting reach 50% this fall? Here’s a look back at Wisconsin absentee trends.

More: A small Wisconsin town eliminated its electronic voting machines, leading to a federal review

Trump also weighed in on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., saying he would still participate in now-scheduled presidential debates if the independent candidate qualifies to be on stage.

"I have no problem with him. I think he's really not doing well in the polls at all," Trump said. "But I would have no problem, if he got whatever the threshold is."

In the latest Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsin voters, 13% said they'd choose RFK. In the February survey, he was the choice of 16% of respondents.

Kennedy took more votes from Republican respondents than Democrats: 13% vs. 8%. And he took a large share of independent voters, who were split between Kennedy and Trump, at 32% each.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump: 'Pretty good chance' he will announce VP at RNC in Milwaukee