Top Trump Running Mate Contender Falls Down Shortlist: Report

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has reportedly fallen out of favor among the contenders to be former President Donald Trump's running mate on the GOP ticket in the 2024 presidential election, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the New York Post on Wednesday (June 12).

Scott, 58, once long considered the odds-on favorite, is reportedly "extremely unlikely to be chosen," according to one insider.

“I think it is extremely unlikely he will be picked,” the source told the Post. “You go down the list of reasons to choose a VP, and he isn’t a standout or game-changer in any category.”

“His star has become less bright, for sure,” another source said. “Still a top five pick — but not the strongest.”

“There are stronger options, and Tim has the potential to serve in the Cabinet, so I think he’ll still play an important role," the second source added.

Scott is reportedly among at least seven candidates who have received documents from the Trump campaign amid its ongoing vetting process, the New York Post reported last Thursday (June 5). Other candidates include Republican Sens. Marco Rubio (Florida) and JD Vance (Ohio), Reps. Byron Donalds (Florida) and Elise Stefanik (New York), North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Trump administration Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

Last week, Trump said he thinks he'll reveal his running mate decision during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next month.

“I think I’ll announce who that person’s going to be during the convention,” Trump said during an interview with FOX News host Sean Hannity that aired Thursday night. “I think that’s pretty normal — during the convention, it will be an interesting period of time.”

Trump previously indicated to News12 that his running mate decision would be made "probably not too much before" the start of the Republican National Convention, where he'll formally be named the GOP presidential nominee, scheduled from July 15 to 18.

“We have so many,” Trump said at the time. ”I don’t want to do that, we have so many.” “We have many people who would do a fantastic job."

Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes told the New York Post that the former president hasn't made a decision on his running mate nor revealed when he plans to.

“Anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump,” Hughes said in a statement.