Trump’s VP search enters a new phase: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, we report on Donald Trump's accelerated vice presidential selection process. Plus, chief political analyst Chuck Todd asks if Trump's guilty verdict would matter more if President Joe Biden was more popular.

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Trump’s VP search enters a new phase

By Henry J. Gomez, Matt Dixon, Jonathan Allen and Dasha Burns

Donald Trump’s search for a running mate is intensifying, as the former president awaits sentencing on felony charges and prepares for next month’s Republican National Convention.

Vice presidential contenders recently received vetting materials, five sources familiar with the process told NBC News.

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Trump’s search, according to one source, is heavily concentrated on four top prospects:

• North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
• Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida
• Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina
• Sen. JD Vance of Ohio

Another source described a three-way competition involving Burgum, Rubio and Vance.

It’s unclear, though, who has been asked to provide vetting details that could rule them in or out. Burgum, who has been spending more time with Trump in recent weeks, is among those who have received a request, said one source familiar with the ask. Advisers to Burgum and other would-be running mates declined or did not respond to requests for comment this week.

Sources plugged into conversations about the search cautioned that Trump is working from a fluid shortlist that at times includes more than a half-dozen