HANAHAN, South Carolina — Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) cast an early vote for the South Carolina GOP primary on Thursday morning as he cast doubt over former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley‘s campaign against former President Donald Trump.
The Palmetto State senator has emerged as a top vice presidential contender for Trump’s campaign but brushed off questioning on Thursday.
At the front opening of Hanahan Library, Scott briefly chatted with a Marine veteran who teased him about vice presidential rumors.
“Congratulations, you might get it,” the veteran told Scott, shaking his hand.
“Well, one day at a time,” Scott responded. “One day at a time.”
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Trump has repeatedly brought up Scott’s name when asked about his running mate. The most recent occurrence came during a Fox News town hall event with Laura Ingraham on Tuesday evening.
“He’s been so great. He’s been such a great advocate,” Trump said about Scott.
Rusty Howe, 60, a Hanahan resident, was enthusiastic about a Scott vice presidential pick. “I love Tim Scott,” he said before suggesting another high-profile role for the senator. “He needs to be in the Cabinet, for sure.”
“Well, you vote for whoever’s at the top of the ticket, not for who’s the vice presidential candidate. It might make a difference. It might not,” said Lewis Tabb, 74, of Beaufort, South Carolina. “Given some of the other alternatives, I think he would be a better candidate than some of the other names I’ve heard tossed about.”
Scott did not respond to shouted questions from the Washington Examiner after a press gaggle on Thursday morning, but he did have pointed remarks about his relationship with Haley, a fellow South Carolinian native.
“I think it’s about as it was beforehand, honestly. We didn’t talk a lot before then, and we don’t talk a lot now,” he said.
“But in the end, you know, I look at the comments coming from the Haley camp and her son calling me Judas,” Scott continued, referencing comments from Nalin Haley referring to him as “Senator Judas.”
Haley appointed Scott to the Senate in 2012 to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jim DeMint. Scott, however, chose to endorse Trump days before the New Hampshire primary last month.
“The one thing I think about is the importance of remembering that politics sometimes brings out the best of people and the worst of people,” Scott said. “And you have to have an attitude of forgiveness if you’re going to play this game long term.”
Scott continued to call for Haley to drop out of the race if she loses the primary on Saturday, in which she is trailing Trump by a 2-to-1 margin.
“The one person that stands in the way of having a conversation between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is Nikki Haley,” the senator said. “And so getting out of the way is incredibly important, not for the party but for America’s future.”
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As a top Trump surrogate, Scott defended the former president again when he was asked about Trump comparing New York Judge Arthur Engoron ordering Trump and associates to pay $355 million in penalties for his civil fraud case to the recent death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“I think the one thing we can get out of the judgment in New York is that every business person who fears for the future of their business because of the absolute oppressive nature of the courts in New York, they are now considering leaving the state,” Scott said.
