Republican Sen. Tim Scott, of South Carolina, whose diffidence in promoting himself as a possible presidential candidate has been replaced by tenacity in support of former President Donald Trump, is hoping to be picked as Trump’s running mate, according to a new report.
“It’s very clear that Tim Scott is doing everything he can to build his relationship with Donald Trump in an attempt to get picked as VP,” a source close to the Trump campaign said, according to the New York Post.
“It’s pretty clear he’s one of the people who is being considered,” the Post quoted the source as saying.
A source whom the Post called a former Scott staffer said Scott “did a fantastic job increasing his name recognition throughout the primary while avoiding Trump’s fire. In this session of ‘The Apprentice,’ I think Tim Scott will go far,” the source said, referring to Trump’s former TV show.
A former backer of Scott’s bid for the GOP presidential nomination said as the only black Republican senator, Scott “has a unique role within the Republican Party and I think the former president appreciates that.
“I think he appreciates how he conducted himself on the national stage when he ran for president. And the message that he offered obviously differs from the president … and I do think there’s likely an effort to provide a degree of balance to the ticket,” the source said.
Scott has shown he is “interested in being an advocate for Donald Trump and certainly has not turned down the notion that he could be the vice presidential nominee,” the source went on.
“He seems to be a pretty natural fit for the VP slot,” the source said.
A Trump campaign official the Post did not name said Scott “would make a great running mate.
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“However, all running mate talk at this point by anyone but Donald John Trump is pure speculation. There are about a dozen people in the running and President Trump will announce who his pick is in a time and manner of his choosing,” the campaign source said.
During a February town hall, Trump explained his number one quality for a vice president.
“Always the first quality has to be somebody that you think can be a good president because if something should happen, you have to have somebody that’s going to be a great president,” Trump said.
“A lot of people are talking about that gentleman right over there,” Trump said, gesturing to Scott.
“He’s been so great. He’s been such a great advocate. I have to say this in a very positive way, Tim Scott, he has been much better for me than he was for himself. I watched his campaign, and he doesn’t like talking about himself. But boy does he talk about Trump. And I said you know, I called him and I said, ‘Tim, you’re better for me than you were for yourself.’”
As speculation swirls, The Hill tossed the name of Republican Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio, into the mix.
Earlier this month, Axios listed names mentioned as possible picks. The list included Scott as well as Republicans Rep. Elise Stefanik, of New York; former HUD Secretary Ben Carson; former presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem; Texas Gov. Greg Abbott; Sen. Katie Britt, of Alabama; Rep. Byron Donalds, of Florida; Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders; and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
The Axios list also included former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaii, who has since become an independent.
