Trump VP auditions: Scott, Ramaswamy hit trail in South Carolina on behalf of former president
Sen. Tim Scott and Vivek Ramaswamy - potential Republican running mates - campaign with and on behalf of former President Donald Trump in the South Carolina primary
Sen. Tim Scott, talked up former President Trump as he spoke with reporters after early voting on Thursday in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary.
Scott, the positive conservative champion who ended his own White House run in November and endorsed Trump last month, said Americans want "someone who was more forceful, more provocative and a little bit more rambunctious" as he pointed towards Trump.
Trump, the commanding front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, indicated at a Fox News town hall in South Carolina this week that at least a half a dozen contenders — including three former rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — are on his short list for running mate.
During the program, which ran on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle," Trump was asked about Scott, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a Democrat turned independent.
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"Are they all on your short list?" host Laura Ingraham asked the former president.
"They are," Trump answered. "Honestly, all of those people are good. They’re all good, they’re all solid."
Scott received a warm welcome from the large crowd of mostly Trump supporters when he arrived at the Greenville, South Carolina, convention center where the town hall was held.
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"A lot of people are talking about that gentleman right over there," Trump said as he pointed to Scott, who was sitting in the front row of the audience.
Asked about Trump's praise, Scott said on Thursday that the former president "certainly was very generous and kind with his words. But more important than who his running mate is is making sure that he’s our next president."
Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, enthusiastically joined Trump in New Hampshire last month and endorsed the former president. He has also teamed up with Trump on the campaign trail in Scott's home state of South Carolina a couple of times over the past two weeks, and he will join the former president again on Friday.
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The senator told Fox Digital he'll continue to hit the campaign trail with Trump after the nomination race moves past the Palmetto State this weekend.
"I look forward to continuing to campaign with the president everywhere we go. If there’s an election, I look forward to being there, whether in person or through the phone or through the TV screens," Scott said.
And a source in Scott's political orbit told Fox News to "expect the senator to be a vocal voice in the media and on the campaign trail. Voters should expect to see him traveling to events in other states once South Carolina wraps up this weekend."
Speaking with reporters after voting, Scott took aim at former U.N. Ambassador and former two-term South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is the last remaining major rival to Trump in the nomination race. Haley has vowed to continue campaigning at least until Super Tuesday, when 15 states hold Republican nominating contests on March 5.
Pointing to the latest polls that show Trump maintaining a large double-digit lead in the Palmetto State, Scott said Haley should step aside after Saturday's primary "for the good of the country."
"I think a win would be sufficient, but I expect a 20-plus point win in the home state where she was the governor and a state representative. If that doesn't send a clear message, I don't know what does," the senator said.
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Scott isn't the only former Trump rival stumping for the former president in South Carolina.
Ramaswamy has made a handful of stops in South Carolina, including Aiken on Wednesday. Ramaswamy, who tangled with Haley multiple times before dropping out of the race last month, told reporters that "she should step down before the South Carolina primary."
Asked about potentially serving as Trump's running mate, Ramaswamy also demurred.
"Donald Trump has got to win this election. That's my sole focus and making sure he wins by a decisive victory," he said. "And I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure that his presidency is as successful as it possibly can be."
While the potential running mate contenders are playing coy, seasoned Republican strategist David Kochel told Fox News the appearances on the campaign trail "of course, are screen tests. I think CPAC is going to play that role as well this weekend – obviously big with the MAGA folks."
"Trump likes to talk about people that he hires coming out of central casting, so to use the word audition is apropos," added Kochel, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns.
Alex Castellanos, another longtime Republican consultant who worked on multiple White House campaigns, agreed that "of course these guys are auditioning."
"In a way they have to. They already failed the taste test for occupying a position in the White House," Castellanos said as he pointed to Scott and Ramaswamy's failed presidential campaigns.
Fox News' Brandon Gillespie and Kirill Clark contributed to this report.
