U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), surprisingly, dodged the question of whether he would be interested in becoming former President Donald Trump's running mate.
Scott did so, according to the Washington Examiner, during an appearance Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.
The relevant part of the interview can be watched here:
.@DanaBashCNN asks @SenatorTimScott whether he would serve as Donald Trump’s running mate in 2024. pic.twitter.com/HnZJMPbnx5
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) January 21, 2024
During the interview, CNN host Dana Bash asked Scott if he would be interested in being Trump's running mate.
"The only thing I want is four more years of Donald Trump, and a Republican majority in the Senate, majority in the House, and the White House, so that poor kids who are today growing up in neighborhoods like I grew up in, have a chance for quality education," Scott, in part replied.
Obviously, Scott did not answer the question. Rather, he made the point that "If you don’t think about yourself but think about the country first, we’ll be in good shape."
The non-answer prompted Bash to push a little further. She said, "That wasn’t a no — that door is wide open, fair read?"
Scott, with a laugh, replied, "Well Dana, you could you could take it any way you want. My goal was to do one thing; it’s always gonna do the same thing. Make America and Americans believe in our future and the way that we do not today."
It is not immediately clear why Scott decided to dodge the running mate question. In contrast to Bash, some would interpret Scott's decision not to answer the question as a sign that he is not interested in being Trump's running mate.
Whatever the case may be, Scott was a Republican presidential candidate for the 2024 cycle for a brief period, until he realized that he did not really have the support to make a serious run at the presidency. Scott has recently thrown his support behind Trump.
"We need, you see, we need a president who doesn't see Black or White. We need a president who sees Americans as one American family. And that's why I came to the very warm state of New Hampshire to endorse the next president of these United States, President Donald Trump," Scott said on Friday.
It is widely presumed, based on polling, that Trump will win the Republicans' presidential nomination in 2024, which is why talk has turned to potential running mates.
Trump has refused to say much on the subject, but a recent insider report suggests that Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) could be on Trump's "short list."
