Former President Donald Trump is reportedly considering Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), his one-time rival, as a running mate in his reelection battle against President Joe Biden.
Several sources confirmed to NBC News and CBS News that Rubio’s star is rising among the ever-growing list of vice presidential candidates who could join Trump’s 2024 campaign.
But Rubio is among a list of Republican candidates that includes fellow Floridians such as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), whom Trump is eying to join his ticket.
Other running mate contenders include Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD), and Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
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Trump has repeatedly praised Scott in particular on the campaign trail. The former president told Fox News‘s Laura Ingraham during a town hall event last month that Scott has “been so great. He’s been such a great advocate.”
“He has been much better for me than he was for himself,” Trump continued. “I watched his campaign, and he doesn’t like talking about himself, but boy, does he talk about Trump.”
Rubio and Trump campaigned against one another during the 2016 GOP presidential primary before Trump vanquished the Florida senator in his path to claim both the GOP nomination and presidency that year.
The Florida senator would be a boon to Trump’s campaign as it seeks to increase support from Hispanic voters, but federal laws bar electors from voting for presidential and vice presidential candidates from the same state.
If Rubio were to join Trump’s ticket, one would need to change residency from the Sunshine State. Trump previously claimed New York residency but updated his homestead to Mar-a-Lago during his presidency.
At 52, Rubio would also make for a generational contrast against the 77-year-old Trump, whom voters have said may be too old for another four years in office. (Voters have also made the same criticism against the 81-year-old Biden.) Rubio would also become the first person of color to join a Republican presidential ticket as the son of Cuban immigrants.
Rubio’s campaign directed the Washington Examiner to a recent interview where the senator elaborated on the vice presidential rumors.
“Anybody who gets a chance to serve as vice president of the United States should consider that an honor,” Rubio told Glenn Beck. “I have never spoken either to President Trump or anybody on his campaign about this or anybody else that they’re considering for vice president.”
“What I do know is that unlike the Democrats, President Trump will have a lot of good options available to him,” he continued. “And I’m confident he’s going to make the perfect and right choice.
The Trump campaign did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comments.
Trump’s first running mate, former Vice President Mike Pence, recently announced he wouldn’t endorse Trump’s 2024 campaign.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence told Fox News’s Martha MacCallum.
“During my presidential campaign, I made it clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues,” he added. “And not just our differences on our constitutional duties that I exercised on Jan. 6. Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years.”
Pence’s deep conservatism stabilized Trump during the 2016 cycle when he was coming to the forefront as a presidential candidate. But the subsequent fallout after the 2020 campaign, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and Pence’s own presidential run against Trump have driven the two running mates irrevocably apart.
Trump flippantly responded he “couldn’t care less” about Pence’s snub.
“We need patriots. We need strong people in our country,” Trump continued. “Our country is going downhill very fast, very rapidly. We need strong people in this country. We don’t need weak people.”
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While much attention has been spent on Trump’s running mate, the former president has also mused that his pick may not make that much of a difference for voters.
“The one thing that always surprises me is that the VP choice has absolutely no impact,” Trump said during the Fox News town hall. “It’s whoever the president is.”