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If he wins the presidency, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would seek to purge the federal government of officials appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama and could ask Congress to pass legislation making it easier to fire public workers, Trump ally, Chris Christie, said on Tuesday. Christie, who is governor of New Jersey and leads Trump's White House transition team, said the campaign was drawing up a list of federal government employees to fire if Trump defeats Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 presidential election. ... Trump's transition advisers fear that Obama may convert these appointees to civil...

He might be the runner-up, but New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday he's "really relieved" presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump picked a governor as his running mate, calling Mike Pence as an "outstanding" candidate. "Mike Pence is a great guy. And I am really relieved that Donald Trump picked a governor to be his running mate. He needs someone with him who has governed, who knows how to govern," Christie said. Speaking at a breakfast for the Michigan delegation to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, the New Jersey Republican subtly jabbed his fellow vice presidential hopeful, former House...

Prior to announcing Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate, presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump had narrowed the VP field down to the Indiana governor, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Gov. Chris Christie. While Gingrich seems to have been a good sport about Trump’s ultimate decision to go with Pence, according to the Weekly Standard, Christie was “livid.” While minding my own business at the Starbucks inside the Westin hotel this morning, I saw a man engage Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort in conversation about the VP selection process. The man, whom I couldn't identify, suggested that Pence was...

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With the news that the vice presidential slot may be filled and not by Republican Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor explained what his reaction will be if Donald Trump rolls out Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. 'I mean, obviously, I'm a competitive person,' Christie told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace, a Republican analyst for the network. 'So I'm not going to say it won't bother me, if I'm not selected. Of course it bothers you a little bit. 'Cause if you're a competitive person, like I am, and you're used to winning, like I am – again, you don't like coming in...

The campaign has said a decision has not been made. The media is saying that it is Pence. I have a few concerns about Pence and thought I would voice them because, according to the campaign, they said Trump still has to make a decision. These are two tweets already dug up by the press on Pence: Governor Mike Pence Verified account ‏@GovPenceIN Trade means jobs, but trade also means security. The time has come for all of us to urge the swift adoption of the Trans Pacific Partnership And: Governor Mike Pence Verified account ‏@GovPenceIN Calls to ban Muslims...

Reports surfaced on Thursday afternoon that presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice president (VP). “As Trump narrowed in on his choice of Pence, the two men spent time at both Trump’s golf resort in New Jersey in early July and at the Indiana governor’s mansion this week,” Roll Call notes, citing an anonymous Republican source for the report. The New York Times and CBS have also reported the pick is Pence. However, the Trump campaign is denying this is true. 1/2 A decision has not been made by Mr. Trump. He will be...

Donald Trump's vice presidential search turned into a head-spinning melodrama Wednesday as candidates vying for the spot hopped on planes and phones to perform frenzied, last-minute try-outs... The meetings held in Indiana were done so to allow Trump more time with Pence, a Trump spokesperson said. But the plan to fly GIngrich and Sessions to Indiana appeared to be more of a last-minute scramble, since sources told CNN Tuesday night that he was spending the night because Trump's plan had mechanical issues... One of the biggest questions is whether he will opt for someone with a reputation as a partisan...

Jul. 12, 2016 - 8:09 - Former House speaker on speculation over Donald Trump's vice presidential pick

Within the next 48-72 hours, we should know who Donald Trump has chosen for a running mate. Some think it will be Friday and others think it will be over the weekend. But chances are, we will know by this time on Saturday (just three days from now) as typically candidates want to maximize the convention news cycle and announcing a few days prior will help accomplish that and build some excitement leading into the convention itself. I have no idea who Trump is going to pick but I do know this: Once the pick is made, there is...

Donald Trump will showcase his vice presidential pick at a public event on Friday, multiple sources tell NBC News. Trump's possible picks are thought to be narrowed to three candidates: Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. While the joint appearance is expected on Friday, it's not clear whether or not the identity of the pick could be released or could leak earlier in the week. Trump is scheduled to attend a fundraiser and rally in Indiana Tuesday night with Pence; he campaigned with Christie on Monday and with Newt Gingrich last...

Donald Trump's top vice presidential vetting adviser -- Washington lawyer A.B. Culvahouse -- traveled to New Jersey Saturday to meet with Gov. Chris Christie, according to sources familiar with the plans. The meeting lasted approximately three hours and followed Christie's prior submission of the 100+ question vetting questionnaire, tax records and access to medical history. Sources tell NBC News, Culvahouse devoted a significant amount of time discussing the George Washington bridge lane closures, widely known as "Bridgegate." The Culvahouse interview for finalists is in addition to a personal, though less formal interview with Trump himself. Those two interactions cap the...

It’s the Donald Trump veep sweepstakes! Step right up and take your pick . . . The Morning Joe crew had fun playing the game this morning. Mark Halperin pushed Indiana governor Mike Pence, saying he was someone that people would look at and say he was a responsible choice. Harold Ford, Jr. suggested a general, to shore up Trump’s military credentials–and retired General Mike Flynn’s name has been floated. Mika Brzezinski, without naming names, pushed hard for someone with foreign policy experience. Finally, Joe Scarborough made the case for Chris Christie, as a tough, reliable campaigner: someone who is...

TRENTON — It is highly unlikely that Gov. Chris Christie will be Donald Trump's running mate, according to two sources who are advising the Trump campaign and who requested to remain anonymous. Instead, the sources said that former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is "the likely pick" to be the tycoon's choice for vice president. The sources, who have been privy to some of the selection process, have insisted on anonymity because they are not authorized to speak for the campaign. "The people who've been pushing the Christie narrative are Christie people," said one of the sources, who has heard...

Gov. Chris Christie may be on the short list for Donald Trump's pick for vice president, but to readers of the Drudge Report would soon have the billionaire mogul pick someone else. In a flash poll posted on the news website on Tuesday, the governor received just under 6 percent of more than 200,000 votes, while former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich received almost 40 percent. Also a popular choice among readers of the conservative news aggregator is freshman U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa (31 percent), who traveled to New Jersey to meet with the tycoon at...

Buchanan: Trump Picking Gingrich or Christie as VP Against Clinton-Warren Would Say to Voters ‘Let’s Get It On’ Saturday on CNN’s “Smerconish,” conservative commentator Pat Buchanan offered his thoughts on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s potential vice-presidential picks and the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland in two weeks. Host Michael Smerconish noted the past two GOP presidents and the past GOP presidential nominees won’t be attending the convention, to which Buchanan explained that Trump’s campaign was an insurrection and that the insurrection was the political establishment of the Republican Party, which included former Presidents George H.W. Bush and...

Gov. Chris Christie rejected legislation Thursday that would have raised monthly welfare benefits for the first time in 30 years, and would have restored $7.5 million in grants for women's clinics which he eliminated when he first took office in 2010. In veto statements released just before 10 p.m. — two hours before the start of the new fiscal year — the governor said his actions "protected taxpayers" from the "irresponsible" spending by the Democrats who control the Legislature. "Unfortunately, the Legislature has continued its annual ritual of attempting to pass additional unbudgeted spending for selected interests," according to Christie's...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are among the finalists to be Donald Trump's running mate, sources confirmed to CNN on Thursday... The New York Times was first to report Christie's vetting. The Washington Post reported Thursday evening that Gingrich was also being vetted, with Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, and Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, also emerging as final contenders, but a source very close to the campaign said the Post's report was inaccurate. The source added, however, that a surprise choice could also be in store.

Donald Trump’s campaign has begun formally vetting possible running mates, with former House speaker Newt Gingrich emerging as the leading candidate, followed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. But there are more than a half-dozen others being discussed as possibilities, according to several people with knowledge of the process. Given Trump’s unpredictability, campaign associates caution that the presumptive Republican nominee could still shake up his shortlist. But with little more than two weeks before the start of the Republican National Convention, Gingrich and Christie have been asked to submit documents and are being cast as favorites for the post inside...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is being vetted by Donald Trump's campaign as a possible vice presidential running mate, according to reports. The New York Times and other media sources are reporting the campaign has sent official paperwork to Christie to start the vetting process. The reports are one of the first solid indications of who Trump, a businessman-turned-politician, might want on his ticket. Other names that have been mentioned include Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and South Dakota Sen. John Thune. Other names – including former Trump's former challengers Marco Rubio, John...