Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, said Sunday that former President Donald Trump has not spoken to him about joining his campaign as his pick for vice president.
“Did you get the call from Donald Trump? Did he ask you to be his running mate? moderator Kristen Welker asked Vance during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Vance, who is on Trump’s short list of potential running mates, said he “didn’t get the call” but would alert the media if he did.
“We will let the media know if I get that call,” he said. “But the most important thing is that we are just trying to work to elect Donald Trump. Whoever his vice president is, he has a lot of good people to choose from.”
In the interview, Vance also defended Trump’s recent comments calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate President Joe Biden and his family if he wins a second presidential term.
“I find it interesting how much the media and Democrats have lost their minds over this particular quote,” he said. “Donald Trump is talking about appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Joe Biden for wrongdoing. Joe Biden has done exactly that in recent years and has done much more besides to engage in a campaign of legal warfare against his political opposition. I think what Donald Trump is simply saying is that we should investigate the previous administration.”
Vance, a Republican from Ohio, is among three Republican senators on Trump’s list for running mate and has emerged as a finalist alongside North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, sources told NBC News.
Rubio, in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” similarly said that Trump has not yet made a decision on his choice of vice president.
After host Dana Bash noted that the Constitution says presidential electors cannot vote for a president and vice president from the same state — which poses potential conflicts for Rubio and Trump, both Florida residents — she asked if Rubio would be willing to move to another state or give up his Senate seat if Trump chooses him as his running mate.
Rubio rejected the idea, saying it is “presumptuous” and that he has “no idea” who Trump will choose as his running mate.
Pressed again by Bash about whether he has thought about the possibility of leaving Florida or the Senate if he is chosen as Trump’s running mate, Rubio again said he finds it “presumptuous to talk about either of those things in public” because Trump has done nothing. a decision.
“When he makes these decisions, it doesn’t matter who he chooses, so these conversations will happen in relation to who he chooses,” he said. “But we’re not there yet. But we will be soon, one way or another.”
Vance, who appears frequently on news programs and has headlined several fundraisers for Trump, has distinguished himself from other Trump vice presidential candidates through his record of aligning with key policies widely supported by his voter base. from MAGA.
He also won the outspoken support of Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son.
The timing of Trump’s vice presidential announcement was delayed after Biden’s poor debate performance last month, sources familiar with the deliberations told NBC News. Trump signaled that a decision on a running mate would be revealed closer to the Republican National Convention, which begins July 15 in Milwaukee.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
