Donald Trump on Tuesday cited a handful of names of who he might want to have as his vice president -- and the picks are a little confusing.
In an interview with USA Today, the real estate mogul signaled that he might use the selection of his potential second-in-command as a kind of olive branch to his vanquished GOP rivals.
Related: Who Should Donald Trump Choose as His Vice President?
The GOP frontrunner namechecked former candidates Sen. Marco Rubio (FL), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich as possible running mates.
"There are people I like, but I don't think they like me because I have hit them hard," he said. "There are people I have in mind in terms of vice president. I just haven't told anybody names.”
In an earlier interview with The Washington Post, Trump said he wants “somebody that can walk into the Senate and who’s been friendly with these guys for 25 years, and people for 25 years and can get things done.”
“So I would 95 percent see myself picking a political person, as opposed to somebody from the outside," he said.
Related: Why Paul Ryan Will Dodge the GOP Presidential Snake Pit
For now, though, the suggestions make little sense, each for its own reasons.
Take Rubio, for example. He and Trump engaged in adolescent, some say vulgar, personal attacks in the weeks before the Florida lawmaker dropped out of the race.
“He made a mistake,” Trump told USA Today, indicating he had forgiven Rubio. “He became Don Rickles for about four days, and then I became worse than Don Rickles.”
Last month Rubio took the unprecedented step of asking the Republican state parties if he can keep the 172 delegates he won and keep them bound to vote for him when the GOP meets for its convention this summer.
Related: Angry Trump Voters Plan Protest Over Colorado Delegate Hijacking
The gambit could impact who wins the Republican presidential nomination because it could deny Trump the 1,237 delegates he needs to become the party’s standard-bearer. It also keeps Rubio in the conversation as an alternative should the convention floor descend into a war between Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (TX).
It’s also hard to imagine Walker, one of the first GOP candidates to fold, agreeing to team up with Trump. The Wisconsin governor endorsed Cruz in his state’s recent primary, a nod that helped the Texas conservative beat Trump by double-digits.
For his part, Kasich didn’t even feign interest in the No. 2 spot.
“Zero chance," the Ohio governor repeated during an interview with CBS This Morning.
"Look, I am running for president of the United States, and that’s it. If I'm not president, which I think I have an excellent shot to be, I will finish my term as governor and then maybe I’ll be a co-host on this show. You never know,” he added.
While Trump’s initial offerings may be hard to comprehend, more names are sure to bubble up, especially as the GOP marches toward what could be a contested convention in Cleveland.
Chris Christie anyone?
