Former President Donald Trump is said to be considering an unexpected candidate to be his running mate. 

This is according to a new report from the New York Times. 

The unexpected candidate, according to the outlet, is U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).

There has been an almost unhealthy amount of speculation about whom Trump is going to choose as his running mate. Countless names have been mentioned, including some non-Republicans. But, Cotton's name has not really come up - until now.

A "top contender"

According to the Times, not only is Trump considering choosing Cotton as his vice president, but Cotton has become one of the "top contenders" for the position.

The Times cites "three people with direct knowledge of Mr. Trump’s thinking" for its report. But, the sources are anonymous, which suggests that this report ought to be taken with a large grain of salt.

So, why Cotton?

Here is what the Times reports:

The former president has said privately that he views Mr. Cotton as a reliable and effective communicator in cable news interviews. Mr. Trump has also praised Mr. Cotton’s Army service, which included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the fact that he is a fellow Ivy League graduate. Mr. Trump went to the University of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Cotton attended Harvard, earning undergraduate and law degrees.

Neither Trump nor Cotton has commented on this report, which is another reason to be a bit skeptical about it.

The latest "shortlist"

The Times, elsewhere in its report, identifies the five individuals who are said - according to the Times' anonymous sources - to be at the top of Trump's running mate "shortlist."

These individuals are Cotton, U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R).

Once again, it must be noted that Trump has not confirmed this. He, in fact, has been rather quiet about all of this as the speculation has continued - although, he did publicly rule out Nikki Haley as his running mate.

Many have suggested that Trump, himself, may still not have made his final choice for a running mate, and one of the main reasons why is that he has so many good options. On a side note, nothing could be further from the truth for the Democrats.

Trump has also given the country a hint about when he is likely to announce his pick - at the Republican National Convention in July.