A phalanx of black SUVs arrived at the home of a final contender on President Donald Trump’s vice presidential shortlist, stoking speculation that he has nabbed the role just hours before the former president is set to appear at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Two days after his brush with death, President Trump may be directing the Secret Service to the home of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). The Daily Mail reported that “three black trucks with US government plates” arrived outside the Ohio Republican’s home on Sunday evening. A local Democratic bigwig posted on X that he saw a “bunch of official, secret service-looking vehicles” and “two cop cars parked outside JD Vance’s house this afternoon.”

“He’s been told he’s VP already for sure,” wrote user Mark Niehaus.

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Bunch of official, secret service-looking vehicles + two cop cars parked outside JD Vance’s house this afternoon

He’s been told he’s VP already for sure

— Mark Niehaus (@Mark_Niehaus) July 14, 2024

The Mail’s report about Sen. Vance potentially winning the veepstakes conflicted with a second report by NBC News where a source claims that the arrival of increased protection has nothing to do with the Trump campaign.

“A source familiar says it’s NOT Secret Service, not related to veepstakes and that the presence is strictly precautionary after yesterday,” wrote senior political reporter Henry Gomez, adding that Governor Mike DeWine claimed he directed extra security to the Vance home following the attempted assassination of President Trump.

A spox for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tells me this is state law enforcement that he approved Saturday at 6:40 pm.

A source familiar says it’s NOT Secret Service, not related to veepstakes and that the presence is strictly precautionary after yesterday. https://t.co/CEIEO7OkNp

— Henry J. Gomez (@HenryJGomez) July 14, 2024

That said, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, the two remaining members of the reported shortlist, have not been reported to have received any recent special protection. Gov. DeWine, a Republican, may very well have directed more security personnel to Sen. Vance’s home at the direction of higher-ups in the party.

Ohio State Highway Patrol and officials with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) staged Vance’s home but would not say the reason for their visit. “For safety reasons, the patrol does not discuss specific details related to security operations,” OSHP said in a statement to NBC affiliate WLWT.

Vance has been a prolific presence on the campaign trail for Trump, defending him throughout his various criminal trials and appearing in Manhattan as he sat through his conviction on 34 counts of corporate subterfuge related to a hush money payment. Following the attempted shooting of Trump by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks on Saturday, he went public with accusations that allies of President Joe Biden fanned the flames of hate, stoking unwell individuals like Crooks to reach for a gun to stop Trump from returning to the White House.

Vance, 39, would be among the youngest contenders for the second most powerful job in the world. He is surpassed by just one: John C. Breckinridge, a lawyer, politician, and soldier who became vice president in 1857 at the age of 36. Although insiders close to Trump say he is not particularly fond of Vance or any of the three men who may become his top deputy, the calculation may have changed on Saturday as Trump is known for soliciting intense loyalty from those around him. Sen. Vance has played into that desire: in February, he uncovered an anti-Trump “kill switch” establishing a multi-year commitment to provide continued funding to Ukraine, a component specifically buried in a funding bill to block President Trump’s America First brand on the world stage.

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