WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is likely to announce his choice for a vice presidential running mate next week, CNN said on Tuesday (July 5), citing its own reporting.

The cable news channel said Trump was thought to be considering at least nine potential running mates, many of them Republican lawmakers in Congress.

Trump tweeted on Tuesday about a meeting he had over the holiday weekend with Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, one of the potential candidates. He was campaigning in North Carolina on Tuesday with Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, another figure on the list.