Mark Halperin Weighs in on Trump’s Veepstakes, Says This Person ‘Is the Best Pick’ Right Now

During a discussion Monday on Morning Joe about Donald Trump‘s impending Vice Presidential choice, the conversation swirled around the likely few choices remaining in the running.

Trump has floated a series of contenders in recent weeks, and while some have removed themselves altogether from consideration, the few remaining — including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich — are sparking interest as potential #2’s to the GOP’s presumptive candidate. Bloomberg’s Mark Halperin identified one such contender as “the best pick,” at this stage for the real estate mogul turned politician.

“He knows that a good pick really helps his chances of winning,” said Halperin about Trump. But of the current crop of prospects, only Indiana Governor Mike Pence takes top billing.

“Everybody has downsides, I could tell you all the reasons not to pick Mike Pence. But to me, from the beginning, [Trump] needs somebody who the country will look at and say ‘That’s a responsible choice.'”

“You pick someone who could step in if something happens to you,” he continued to say of the Vice Presidency. Reports today are indicating that Pence has a “95 percent” chance of earning the nod, while a choice like Chris Christie is still in the mix.

When Mika Brzezinski countered Halperin’s suggestion of Pence to determine his foreign policy chops, the Bloomberg host noted that Pence’s CV looks remarkable similar to that of Ohio Governor John Kasich: he’s got national security experience from from his time in the House, and now serves as a Governor from a midwestern state.

Trump is widely expected to finalize his choice sometime before the GOP convention in Cleveland next week, and he is expected to campaign in Indiana Tuesday. The motion for Pence would have to come this week, and the Hoosier state Gov is facing a ballot deadline on July 15th for his re-election bid.

Watch the above clip from MSNBC.
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J.D. Durkin (@jiveDurkey) is an editorial producer and columnist at Mediaite.
[image via screengrab]