Trump to hold Ohio fundraiser with VP contender JD Vance

Sen. JD Vance, an Ohio Republican who is among the contenders to be Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, will help the former president raise money next month in Cincinnati, according to an invitation obtained Tuesday by NBC News.

Vance is billed as the "special guest" for a May 15 fundraiser and "lunch discussion" to be headlined by Trump. Host committee members are being asked to contribute or raise $250,000 per couple. For attendees, the amounts are $100,000 per couple or $50,000 per person. All funds will go to the Trump 47 joint fundraising committee.

The event could be a trial of sorts for Vance, a first-term senator who lives in Cincinnati and has been a top Trump ally in Ohio. Eight years ago, during his first run for president, Trump made a show of auditioning potential running mates at rallies before he settled on Mike Pence, then the governor of Indiana.

Such public spectacles have yet to materialize in Trump’s third White House bid. He has been tied up in his hush money trial in New York and unable to campaign as much, though he has rallies scheduled for Wednesday in Wisconsin and Michigan, two Midwest battlegrounds.

"Any person who tells you they know who, how or when President Trump will choose his VP is likely wrong unless that person is named Donald J. Trump," Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said late Tuesday.

Trump forged a relationship with Vance, 39, after Vance endorsed him in the crowded 2022 Senate primary. More recently, they joined forces in Ohio on behalf of former car dealer Bernie Moreno, who won the GOP Senate primary this year after Trump headlined a rally for him in the closing days of the race. Vance threw himself into the primary by courting high-level donors and helping shore up money for the rally, which was hosted by the pro-Moreno Buckeye Values PAC.

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Moreno will face Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall in what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.

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Ohio is not the presidential swing state it used to be — Trump won it in 2016 and 2020 by 8 percentage points.

Vance said Sunday on Fox News that he has not spoken with Trump about the vice presidency but that he would "seriously think about it" if he were asked to join the ticket.

Vance is among several vice presidential prospects scheduled to appear this weekend at a Trump 47 spring retreat in Palm Beach, Florida. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Tim Scott of South Carolina, Govs. Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York are also expected at the event.