Sen. Tim Scott appears determined to take himself out of the running to be Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick.
In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union with host Jon Karl, Scott said he stood by his decision to certify the 2020 presidential election, despite widespread evidence of voter fraud that tipped the election in Biden’s favor.
Here is a transcript of the exchange:
JON KARL: OK. Senator, the day before that violent mob attacked the Capitol, you put out a statement explaining your decision to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.
Do you stand by that? You were not one of those that challenged the results. You voted to certify Biden’s election victory. Do you stand by that?
SCOTT: Certainly. I will stand by that decision and the next decision to certify the fact that Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. November 5th, the day of reckoning, is coming. Early ballots go out in places like North Carolina starting in September.
We’re going to focus on making sure that we use every tool in the tool kit to make sure that this election results are clear and profound, and that the American people get four more years of low unemployment, low inflation, high enthusiasm, and a president respected and sometimes feared on the global stage. That president will be Donald Trump.
KARL: All right, and very quickly, we’re just about out of time, but you had said that Mike Pence absolutely did the right thing when he defied Donald Trump’s demand to — to not certify that election. Do you still stand by that, that Pence absolutely did the right thing on January 6th?
SCOTT: The Constitution is clear. What we’re trying to focus on is how do we make sure we get four more years where the American people, particularly kids like me, growing up in poverty, have the best future we could possibly have.
Scott has long been seen as Donald Trump’s most likely choice for vice-president, although such statements are unlikely to endear him to the former president.
When asked by @JonKarl if he stands by his previous statement that then-Vice Pres. Pence “absolutely” did the right thing by certifying the 2020 election results, GOP Sen. Tim Scott says, “The Constitution is clear.” https://t.co/j34avE3DKx pic.twitter.com/OD5yCSZsZ5
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 16, 2024
However, The New York Post reported last week that Scott is now “slipping in the VP race” and is now considered by people close to Trump as “extremely unlikely” to be chosen.
Based on these comments, one can only hope so.