Trump family meets Indiana governor Mike Pence as VP talk grows
- Published
Donald Trump and Mike Pence appeared at a rally together on Tuesday
Republican Donald Trump and his family have met Indiana governor Mike Pence as speculation grows that he could be his vice-presidential pick.
Mr Trump, the likely nominee, and his children were seen leaving the Pence home in Indianapolis.
The campaign said Mr Trump would name his vice-presidential pick on Friday.
Mr Pence endorsed former candidate Senator Ted Cruz in May but said he would support whoever is the Republican nominee.
Mr Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner were seen leaving the governor's mansion.
At a rally in Indiana on Tuesday night, Mr Trump said of Pence: "I don't know whether he's going to be your governor or your vice president, who the hell knows?"
Mr Pence joined him onstage and was received warmly by the crowd.
Other potential VP candidates reportedly being considered are former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.
Mr Trump is to be nominated as the official Republican pick at the Republican National Convention next week.
Also on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that Mr Trump filed a lawsuit against Sam Nunberg, a former campaign aide.
Mr Trump is seeking $10m (£7.6m) in damages for alleged breach of confidentiality.
Will it be Mike Pence? Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
If there's anything resembling a "safe" vice-presidential pick for Donald Trump, Mike Pence is it. He has executive experience as Indiana's governor and a strong legislative resume from his 12 years as a member of the US House of Representatives.
While in Washington, he chaired the Republican Study Group, a coalition of hard-core conservatives, which gives him solid bona fides among the grass-roots Tea Party wing of the party that has occasional doubts about Mr Trump's ideological purity.
Mr Pence also hails from the mid-west, which Mr Trump's team has identified as perhaps the key battleground in his quest for the White House.
In Republican circles Mr Pence's record isn't entirely clean, however. Some on the right have criticised the governor for backing down when the state's "religious liberty" law was challenged by LGBT activists and local businesses last year.
Mr Pence's decision to expand government health-care coverage for Indiana's poor is also considered ideological heresy by some.
The real question, however, is whether Mr Pence has the rhetorical dexterity to both fulfil the traditional running-mate role of political attack dog on the stump and the nominee's most ardent defender.
He is not considered the most gifted speaker, and anyone who shares Mr Trump's ticket will need to be able to skilfully explain away his more controversial statements with some measure of believability.
Mr Pence has been testing his voice over the past few days, calling Mr Trump "a fighter, a builder and a patriot" in a fiery speech Tuesday night. Now it's up to Mr Trump - and his family advisors - to decide if he's the man Trump wants to go into battle with.