Senator Tim Scott (R., S.C.) would not rule out the prospect of serving as Donald Trump’s running mate during a TV appearance on Sunday, days after he endorsed the former president.
When Scott endorsed Trump at a rally in New Hampshire on Friday, attendees chanted “VP!” at the South Carolina senator, who ended his own presidential bid in November.
Asked about the chants during an appearance on CNN on Sunday, Scott said: “The only thing I want is four more years of Donald Trump and a Republican majority in the Senate a 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 a quality education.”
“I want kids to look to their future and believe that America is their oyster,” he added. “That’s what I really want. And if I can help achieve that through my endorsement by being on the campaign trail in my home state of South Carolina for the next four or five weeks, and then beyond, that’s the goal. If you don’t think about yourself, but think about the country first we’ll be in good shape.”
Host Dana Bash then pointed out that Scott had not said “no,” and asked if it was a “fair read” to suggest “that door is wide open.”
“Well, Dana, you can, you can take it any way you want,” Scott said. “My goal is to do one thing. It’s always going to do the same thing, make America and Americans believe in our future in the way that we do not today. Whatever that takes.”
Scott also defended his decision to endorse Trump, telling Bash the GOP must unite behind the former president.
Scott, who was first appointed to the Senate by then–South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, said he has texted Haley on multiple occasions since dropping out of the race, including one day before he endorsed Trump.
Haley, who is hoping to best Trump in the New Hampshire primary this week, said Friday she would not serve as Trump’s running-mate, if asked.
“I’ve said from the very beginning: I don’t play for second. I don’t want to be anybody’s vice president. That is off the table,” Haley told diners at a restaurant in Amherst, New Hampshire, according to a Politico reporter who overheard the comments.
Her remarks came amid speculation that Trump could ask Haley to be his vice president if her own presidential bid fails.