Donald Trump Leans Toward Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie for VP Picks, Reports Say

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his campaign have begun formally vetting potential running mates, with former House speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie emerging as the top choices.

Gingrich and Christie, both of whom have endorsed Trump, have received vetting papers, according to the Associated Press. More than six other candidates are under consideration, according to multiple media reports relying on anonymous sourcing because those close to Trump are not authorized to speak about the topic on the record.

On Thursday, however, Trump acknowledged that Christie was being vetted. "I'm certainly looking at him and I always will. Whether it's for that or something else," he told conservative radio host Howie Carr.

Christie, if for no other reason, may be chosen for his loyalty to Trump. When Trump was nearly universally condemned for racist remarks about a judge of Mexican ancestry, Christie came to the billionaire's defense.

"In the end, there are always going to be conflicts regarding civil lawsuits. People are always going to express their opinions. Those are Donald's opinions, and he has a right to express them," Christie said. "I can guarantee you that, you know, people who are going to vote today in (New Jersey) and people who are going to vote in November are not going to make their decision based upon this kerfuffle."

Although Christie endorsed Trump within days of ending his own bid for the Republican nomination, Gingrich waited until May to lend his support to the New York businessman.

"John Kasich is a great personal friend of mine, Ted Cruz ran a great campaign," Gingrich said of other Republicans in the 2016 field. He added, "I tried to be an objective observer," before saying he would "certainly talk" about being Trump's running mate.

Launching the vetting process with less than three weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland where Trump is expected to announce his running mate is cutting it close by most campaign standards. However, Trump said that politicians "generally speaking, are pretty well vetted" because they are under constant public scrutiny.

"For the most part they've been vetted over the last 20 years," said Trump. "In other words, you people have gone to every dinner that they've ever attended, one way or another," he said, speaking of the media.

However, many prominent Republicans have already ruled out running with Trump, including former primary rival Marco Rubio, the Florida senator now seeking re-election.

"I have never sought, will not seek and do not want to be considered for vice president," Rubio wrote on Facebook in May.

Last week, when Trump was asked about the lack of names being discussed as possible running mates, he struck a defensive tone.

"I will tell you one thing, I'm getting calls from a lot of people and they want it," Trump told CNN, adding, "The only people who say they don't want it are the people that were never asked, OK?"