Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) downplayed differences between himself and former President Donald Trump amid mounting 2024 speculation fueled by his "Faith in America" tour.
Rather than harping on any differences with Trump, Scott lauded the former president's achievements in office, which he credited with helping the United States steer through the COVID-19 pandemic while helping middle-class people.
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Fox News's Sean Hannity asked Scott about the differences between him and the former president. Scott said there were not many.
"Probably not very many at all. I'm so thankful that we [had] President Trump in office, frankly, the policies that we were able to pass from 2017 to 2020 were monumental. Thank God we went into COVID with a strong economy," Scott said.
He then rattled off an array of policy breakthroughs, including record-low unemployment rates for minorities and the enactment of tax-reduced "opportunity zones" in distressed communities.
Hannity followed up and pressed Scott again about how he would differentiate himself from a likely crowded GOP primary. Scott then largely sidestepped the question about policy differences and stressed his backstory.
"What I'm learning on my 'Faith in America' tour is I tell my story, as an African American who was born into poverty, and then a single parent household, the strength of my community," Scott said. "We believe in the goodness of America. I want to share with people why we should be proud of who we are."
Scott held a listening tour event in Iowa on Wednesday that is part of a series in which he is traveling the country to interact with voters in a speculated prelude to a presidential run. During his stop Wednesday, Scott sought to cast himself as an alternative to petty politics and slammed the antics of the Left.
"I think the policies that we fight for as conservatives are the policies necessary to stop the Democrats from ruining America," Scott told Hannity, echoing his message in Iowa.
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Scott's tour followed fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley's entrance into the 2024 GOP primary last week. She became the first major Republican challenger to Trump. Scott is ranked eighth in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.
Most top 2024 Republican contenders have largely refrained from swiping at Trump. The former president is a well-known rhetorical brawler with a penchant for tearing through those who enter his arena.