If there is one thing that has become apparent, it’s that no one really knows who is running the asylum when it comes to picking Trump’s VP. One thing we know is that Ben Carson is out, but beyond that there is a more or less constant war via leak going on between Manafort and Lewandowski about everything, including who is in charge of the VP vetting/selection process. So anything you hear coming out of the Trump camp on the VP front should be taken with a grain of salt at this point.

That said, Paul Manafort told the Huffington Post yesterday that he does not expect Trump to pick a female or minority for VP because “that would be seen as pandering”:

Paul Manafort, a top aide to Donald Trump, said the presumptive Republican nominee is unlikely to pick a woman or minority for the position because “that would be viewed as pandering, I think.”

In a lengthy interview with the Huffington Post, Manafort also said Trump’s selection needs to be well-seasoned in politics.

“He needs an experienced person to do the part of the job he doesn’t want to do. He sees himself more as the chairman of the board, than even the CEO, let alone the COO,” Manafort said.

The veteran political operative suggested that the highly anticipated choice should be viewed as proof of Trump’s presidential readiness, and he said that “there is a long list of who that person could be.”

He added: “Everyone one of them has major problems.”