Trump dropped Scott and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as two names he’s considering for VP
Republican South Carolina Senator Tim Scott has responded to Donald Trump’s consideration of him as his vice presidential running mate for the general election in November, telling US Newzs Digital that his top priority is ensuring the former president beats Joe Biden.
Trump revealed to US Newzs’ Maria Bartiromo over the weekend that he is considering Scott, along with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem while detailing the criteria he’d like to see in a running mate.
“The only thing I can tell you is that the one thing we need is four more years of President Donald Trump,” Scott told US Newzs Digital on Monday.
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“We were better off under Trump. For us to be successful, the one thing I can’t afford to do is take my eye off the ball. The eye on the ball means making sure that President Trump gets four more years,” he added.
After revealing his criteria for a running mate, which included ensuring the individual would be able to step up and handle the presidency in the case of an emergency, Trump said he likely won’t announce a vice presidential pick “for a little while.”
“What criteria are you using to identify who your running mate is?” Bartiromo asked.
“Always, it’s got to be who is going to be a good president. Obviously, you always have to think that because in case of emergency. Things happen, right? No matter who you are, things happen. That’s got to be No. 1,” Trump said.
“Who is your running mate?” Bartiromo said.
“Well, I have a lot of good people. I have a lot of good ideas,” he added, saying he “talks to everybody.”
“You know, I called Tim Scott and people like Tim Scott, and I said, ‘You’re a much better candidate for me than you are for yourself,'” Trump said. “When I watched him, he was fine. He was good, but he was very low-key.”
“I observed him over the past week, advocating for me, standing up for me, and fighting on my behalf. I thought, ‘Wow, you’re a much better asset to me than you are to yourself,'” he continued.
Trump went on to praise Noem as well, noting that she publicly stated she would never run against him “because I could never beat him.”
Trump denied reports that his campaign reached out to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to explore a potential ticket with him early on in the campaign season. Trump said the interaction “never happened.”