Donald Trump just told Fix Boss Chris Cillizza that he plans to pick his vice president in the next three to four days. "In my mind, I have someone that would be really good," Trump told Cillizza in an interview Monday. Anyway, back to Trump Veepstakes Intrigue. Who's he going to pick? With the caveat …
 
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Donald Trump just told Fix Boss Chris Cillizza that he plans to pick his vice president in the next three to four days.

"In my mind, I have someone that would be really good," Trump told Cillizza in an interview Monday.

Anyway, back to Trump Veepstakes Intrigue. Who's he going to pick? With the caveat that this could change anytime -- and if you want up-to-the-minute updates, you should follow The Post's Robert Costa, who has been all over the Trump beat -- let's break down the bios and pros and cons of Trump's narrowing veep list.

RobertCostaTrump

Here they are, loosely based in order of who reporters like Costa and our own hunches indicate he's most likely to pick:

Mike Pence

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence takes a question during a news conference, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in Indianapolis. Pence said that he wants legislation on his desk by the end of the week to clarify that the state's new religious-freedom law does not allow discrimination against gays and lesbians. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence  (R) (Darron Cummings/AP)

The basics: First-term governor of Indiana, in a tight reelection battle, former congressman

Pro: Pence's social conservative creds could shore up Trump's reputation among evangelicals, who are wary of Trump

Con: Remember the big debate last year about whether a pizza shop owner could refuse to serve a gay customer? Pence was in the middle of that when he signed the state's religious freedom bill into law, which LGBT advocates said sanctioned discrimination.

Trump compatibility rating: In our opinion, low. If you have to imagine a political Twitter feed that was polar opposite of Trump's, it would look a lot like Pence's:

MikePenceTweet

Chris Christie

(Dan Worthington/The Washington Post)

(Dan Worthington/The Washington Post)

The basics: New Jersey's  governor, failed 2016 presidential candidate

Pro: He's been behind Trump -- literally -- since February, when Christie shocked the political world by becoming the first major member of the GOP establishment to get on Team Trump. From what we understand, loyalty goes far with Trump, and Costa reports they get along well.

Con: Christie, who is term limited and will leave office in 2017, is fairly unpopular back home, so it's unclear what electoral advantage he'd bring to Trump's campaign -- whose path to the White House likely goes through the Rust Belt rather than the East Coast anyway.

(Philip Bump / The Washington Post)

(Philip Bump / The Washington Post)

Trump compatibility rating: Christie could go toe-for-toe with Trump on colorful insults. Here's my fav from NJ.com:

ChrisChristieInsult

Newt Gingrich

File-This March 8, 2014, file photo shows former House Speaker Newt Gingrich addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference annual meeting in National Harbor, Md. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has begun formally vetting prospective vice presidential picks. The New York billionaire is considering Gingrich, among what he previously described as a short list of possible running mates. Gingrich's inclusion was confirmed by a person involved in the vetting process who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R) (Cliff Owen/AP)

The basics: Former House speaker in the '90s, 2012 failed presidential candidate

Pros: He seems like he really wants the job -- unlike several senators who took their names out of the running last week -- and he might be the most skilled on Trump's short list at explaining away some of the  more controversial remarks. Plus, Gingrich's long resume could add some gravitas to the ticket, something Trump has said he's looking for.

Cons: Gingrich's long resume means there's a lot for Democrats to pick at here. Remember this?

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(Daily News /Ed Murawinski_)

(Ed Murawinski/Daily News)

Trump compatibility rating: Decent. For all their differences, they've got more than a little in common: Both men have been married three times, with their earlier divorces providing plenty of tabloid fodder.

Michael Flynn

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2014, file photo, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Flynn, the three-star Army general who has headed the Defense Intelligence Agency for less than two years is being nudged aside amid conflict within the agency and between the general and leaders elsewhere in the intelligence community, a senior defense official said Wednesday, April 30. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File)

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the Defense Intelligence Agency director, in 2014. (Lauren Victoria Burke/AP)

The basics: A retired lieutenant general who is a registered Democrat but has been a big critic of President Obama. Costa reported over the weekend that Trump is seriously considering him.

Pro: Why not run with the outsider ticket the whole way?

Con: After a rocky Flynn appearance on the Sunday show circuit, Trump seems like he's leaning against that idea. He told Cillizza: "I do like the military, but I do very much like the political."

Trump compatibility rating: Flynn is pro-choice, and Trump once was, too.

Why can't Donald Trump make up his mind?

(Philip Bump / The Washington Post)

(Philip Bump / The Washington Post)

To those of us closely watching the veepstakes unfold, it feels like Trump's near-certain vice presidential pick changes every day. And as the graph above shows, there's a lot of interest in who Trump will pick simply because there's a lot of interest in Trump himself.

The Fix's Philip Bump breaks down why we can expect a different name every day until he actually names one:

1) The longer he waits, the more time people "close to him" have to come up with rumors.

2) And all indications are this decision rests solely with Trump, for whom consistency is not a strong suit.

3) I'll add that Trump may not be putting much stock in the pick. Here's what he told Cillizza:

"History has said nobody ever helps," said Trump, citing the selection of Lyndon Johnson as John F. Kennedy's running mate as the last VP pick that truly mattered. "I've never seen anybody that’s helped."

RBG vs DT

FILE - In this July 31, 2014 file photo, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in her chambers in at the Supreme Court in Washington. The fastest and surest path to marriage for same-sex couples in some parts of the United States would be for the Supreme Court to surprise everyone and decline to get involved in the issue right now. A decision by the justices to reject calls from all quarters to take up same-sex marriage would allow gay and lesbian couples in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin to begin getting married almost immediately. Rulings in their favor have been put on hold while the Supreme Court considers their cases. Ginsburg appeared to be addressing that concern when she said in July that the court would not duck the issue as it did for years with bans on interracial marriage. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg  in 2014 (Cliff Owen/AP)

This recent comment from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg caught our eye:

"I can’t imagine what this place would be — I can’t imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president,” Ginsburg told the New York Times' Adam Liptak in an interview posted Sunday. "For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be — I don’t even want to contemplate that."

It's a sentiment many Americans on Ginsburg's side of the political spectrum share. But for a Supreme Court justice to say it crossed a very important line, writes The Fix's Aaron Blake: "Sometimes they have to hear cases involving political issues and people. Having offered their unprompted opinions about such things can lead to questions about prejudice and potential recusal from future cases."


All right, if you're reading this far to the bottom, you likely made it through Monday. Congrats! And only 120 days until Election Day!

giphy.com

giphy.com

 
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