Donald Trump said Monday that he expects to decide on his vice presidential pick by the end of the week and that he is leaning toward a "political" pick rather than a "military" one.

"I have five people, including the general," Trump told me in a 25-minute phone conversation on Monday morning, referring to retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn . "I do like the military, but I do very much like the political."

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Although Trump was careful not to eliminate Flynn, it was clear that he believed picking someone "political" was the right move, meaning, presumably, that former speaker Newt Gingrich, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and one other political person are in his final four.

Trump said he was prizing political experience over military experience for two main reasons.

First, he feels as though he doesn't need much help on the military/national security front.

"I have such great respect for the general, but believe it or not that will be one of my strong suits," he said. "I was against the war in Iraq from the start." (The Washington Post's Fact Checker column disagreed with that assessment .)

Second, Trump sees picking a politician as vice president as the best way to unify the GOP ahead of next week's Republican National Convention and the coming fall campaign. "I don’t need two anti-establishment people," Trump said. "Someone respected by the establishment and liked by the establishment would be good for unification. I do like unification of the Republican Party."