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National Election Results: presidential

republicans icon Projection: Trump is President-elect
226
301
226
301
Harris
69,046,515
270 to win
Trump
73,364,066
Expected vote reporting: 92%

Trump Says He'll Announce VP Pick Friday as Search Enters Final Stretch

The search is reportedly down to three candidates.

ByABC News
July 13, 2016, 9:45 PM

— -- Donald Trump is set to announce his pick for vice president on Friday in New York, he tweeted tonight, as the search appears to have whittled down to three main prospects.

First up was Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. Trump’s children Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, and campaign chair Paul Manafort joined Trump Sr. at Pence's home in Indiana this morning.

Sources told ABC News that Donald Trump Sr. was not supposed to stay in Indiana last night and was scheduled to fly to New York with Pence in tow but after his plane had some mechanical issues, he and his team were forced to spend the night after a rally in Westfield, where he was introduced by Pence. Eric Trump was already with his father in Indiana but sources tell ABC that Trump Sr. had the rest of his family fly out this morning for the meeting.

The pair met after the rally, and sources said the two had "a very good chat," though no offer was made to the governor at that point.

Later on Wednesday, the next contender, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who has publicly announced that he is being vetted for the job, flew into Indianapolis, meeting with Trump at the Conrad Hotel. Later, Sen. Jeff Sessions also flew in to meet with the presumptive Republican nominee. Sources tell ABC News that Trump views Sessions as an adviser, not so much a vice presidential candidate.

The third top contender is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who ABC News confirmed is being vetted. Christie met with Trump’s children on Monday, according to a senior party official.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, right, acknowledge the crowd during a campaign rally at the Sharonville Convention Center, July 6, 2016, in Cincinnati.
John Minchillo/AP Photo

Pence, Gingrich and Christie have all appeared with Trump at events in recent weeks. As Trump mulls over his decision, sources familiar with the process tell ABC News that Kushner, husband to Trump's daughter Ivanka, carries a "Newt file" with him, favoring the former speaker. Meanwhile, Manafort is said to favor Pence, seeing him as a safe and noncontroversial choice.

Trump has praised the three men at their events together. At the Westfield rally, he asked the attendees if they thought their governor was doing a good job, adding that he thinks so.

At a rally in Cincinnati on July 6, Gingrich introduced Trump.

"Newt has been my friend for a long time. And I'm not saying anything, and I'm not telling even Newt anything, but I can tell you, in one form or another, Newt Gingrich is going to be involved with our government," Trump said. "That I can tell you."

On Tuesday, Fox News announced that it was suspending its contract with Gingrich because of "the intense media speculation about Gingrich's potential selection as Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate."

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and New Jersey governor Chris Christie greet the crowd as they attend a fundraising event in Lawrenceville, New Jersey on May 19, 2016.
Eduardo Munoz/AFP/Getty Images

Christie has been a regular on the campaign trail since endorsing Trump in late February.

Earlier this week, Christie, who was a state's attorney before being elected governor, introduced Trump at an event in Norfolk, Virginia, where Trump labeled himself the "law and order" candidate.

Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that he is looking for a "fighter who is skilled in hand-to-hand combat" as his running mate.

This afternoon, he taped an interview with Fox News that aired tonight, during which he said that he is "not looking for an attack dog."

"You people think of me as an attacker but I'd rather be talking about policy," he said.

When asked about the number of vice presidential possibilities he is juggling at the moment, Trump said that he's "narrowing it down."

"I mean I’m at three, potentially four [choices]. But in my own mind, I probably am thinking about two," he told Fox News.

ABC News' Shushannah Walshe contributed to this report.

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