Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) slammed former President Donald Trump for his role in blocking a bipartisan border bill as scrutiny of Vice President Kamala Harris’s role as a “border czar” intensifies.

Kelly criticized Trump for pressuring GOP lawmakers to vote against a bipartisan Senate bill that would have implemented overhauls on the border.

“This was not meeting the Republicans on the 50-yard line. This was meeting them on the 10-yard line,” Kelly said on Morning Joe.

He also noted that both he and Harris recognize the need for “operational control over the border.”

“Our goal here was to get this legislation passed and then start working on comprehensive immigration reform,” Kelly said. 

“But this was stopped dead in its tracks by Donald Trump because he wanted to have this as an election issue. Like a lot of other Republicans, they don’t actually want to solve this problem,” he added.

Kelly has emerged as a prominent contender to be Harris’s running mate. He is considered a more centrist Democrat who could expand Harris’s voter base in his swing state of Arizona. 

He has previously criticized President Joe Biden’s approach to border security and pushed for stronger measures, which could appeal to voters who don’t think the Democratic Party cares enough about the border crisis.

However, he has defended Harris against attacks on her record on the border and immigration.

Recently, Republicans have argued that Harris failed to secure the border after Biden gave her the assignment in 2021 to address the migrant influx from Central America and the “root causes” of the surge in migration.

Kelly was careful to avoid saying whether he had been in touch with Harris’s campaign when asked about his chances of being nominated to be her vice president.

“I’m not going to get into any of that. I am going to be focused on making sure that Kamala is the next president. I’m going to work as hard as I can,” he said. 

He mentioned that his wife, former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, has also been campaigning for Harris in battleground states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania.

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“My plan right now is to be in Arizona,” Kelly said. 

“Arizona is important not only for who is going to be in the White House but also who’s going to keep control of the United States Senate,” he said.