Business leaders and wealthy donors need a say

Former President Donald Trump and folks near him are fielding calls from business leaders and wealth donors desirous to share who they think Trump should run for vp, people accustomed to the matter say.

Ike Perlmutter, a billionaire and former chairman of Marvel EntertainmentTrump said he believes the previous president should vote for the New York congressman. Elise Stefaniksaid an individual briefed on the conversation.

According to sources accustomed to the matter, Rupert Murdoch has indicated to several friends who move in Trump's social circles that he can be joyful with a Republican candidate that included Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Billionaire Trump backers in the true estate industry have told the previous president's advisers that they like South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, in accordance with individuals who have spoken to them. These and other sources for this story were granted anonymity to recount private conversations.

Trump has it too allegedly was accused to Scott by Oracle chairman and Republican megadonor Larry Ellison.

A spokesman for Fox, which continues to be handling Murdoch's press inquiries, declined to comment. A spokesperson for Perlmutter didn’t reply to CNBC's requests for comment.

Some VP shortlists are primarily promoted by one or two extremely powerful supporters. But others are more generally popular with many Trump supporters.

Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio's popularity was on display last weekend on the Four Seasons in Palm Beach, where wealthy Republicans gathered for the spring meeting of the Republican National Committee.

One one who attended the retreat said Rubio was clearly probably the most sought-after speaker for donors to pose with for “grip and grin” photos. Other vice presidential candidates on the weekend session included Stefanik, Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. The retreat also included lunch with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Opinions are equally strong amongst a few of Trump's wealthiest supporters about who the previous president shouldn’t select to affix him.

Some big donors have expressed hope that Trump will select a gentle hand, someone who could help implement critical policies affecting their industries if Trump wins in November.

“I would imagine that some of Trump's trade agenda is quite worrisome to a lot of donors, and they would hope that someone there would offer a different perspective on a 10 percent tariff across the board,” said Marc Short, a former chief of staff Former Vice President Mike Pence.

This may explain why some influential Trump donors are particularly wary of Ohio Sen. JD Vance, in accordance with people near the Trump campaign. Widely considered a serious contender for the Veep Stakes, Vance is an Ivy League-educated populist who favors higher tariffs aggressive corporate regulation.

The entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy also has influential critics. “It won’t be Vivek,” said a GOP lobbyist near senior party officials.

Opposition to Ramaswamy is so great, the lobbyist said, that some donors have effectively threatened to withdraw their support from your complete party if the previous primary candidate becomes Trump's vice presidential running mate.

For some Republican National Committee staffers, the donors' message to Ramaswamy, the lobbyist said, was: “My God, if it's him, I'm out.”

Other donors are more eager about how a vp might help Trump get elected than what a possible vp might bring to the office.

High on the list of desirable qualities on this regard is a powerful fundraising track record, a number of the sources said.

Trump has struggled to maintain up with President Joe Biden's fundraising wave. According to Federal Election Commission records, the previous president's campaign brought in $15 million in March, while Biden's re-election campaign brought in $43 million.

Rubio, Stefanik, Scott and Burgum were all privately pitched to Trump as top candidates with close ties to top business leaders. Those connections could help Trump's fundraising efforts if one in all them is chosen as his running mate, people accustomed to the matter say.

Burgum could even help with that Self-financing Trump's campaign, just as he did in his own Republican presidential primary.

Rubio, Stefanik and Scott even have their very own fundraising networks and will potentially provide the Trump fundraiser with something much more invaluable: latest donors.

Supporting the winning horse within the Veep campaign pays off big for a donor if the ticket results in the White House.

“Trump is very transactional, so a close relationship with Trump's vice president provides leverage for donors,” said Marc Short, a former chief of staff to Pence.

For example, if a donor near the vp were concerned about trade and tariffs, he could say to the White House: “I want to at least be heard before you move on trade policy,” Short said.

But there's a catch: Now that Trump has accomplished one term as president, he feels comfortable steering policy in Washington on his own. Therefore, if he’s elected for a second time, he may not turn to his vp as often as he did in his first term.

“I feel he relied on Pence loads because he didn’t have that have in DC. And now he appears like he already has that have and thinks he doesn't need such an energetic vp,” Short said.

Likewise, Trump is not expected to be looking for a vice president to help him build bridges to the economy. On the contrary, he is more likely to give preference to a number 2 who he believes will remain unwaveringly loyal to him. Trump has often complained that he felt betrayed on January 6, 2021, when Pence refused to block the certification of the 2020 election results.

For now, however, Trump is in no hurry to introduce his vice president to the world.

Trump spends most of his days in a New York courtroom, where he is being tried for allegedly falsifying dozens of business documents to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star.

The former president recently told a local television station that he expects to announce his choice closer through the date of the Republican National Convention, scheduled for July 15-18.