Trump Says He’s Open to Kasich, Rubio or Walker for VP. Kasich Response: ‘Zero Chance’

Rubio also nixed the idea. Walker left the door open.

By Published on April 12, 2016

Republican front-runner Donald Trump is considering Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as possible running mates he said Monday.

“Yes. I like Marco Rubio. Yeah. I could,” Trump said in an interview with USA Today, referring to naming him as his vice presidential pick or for a cabinet position. He also acknowledged they might not be happy about the idea, since he “hit them hard” on the trail.

“There are people I have in mind in terms of vice president,” he continued, naming current and former 2016 rivals. “I just haven’t told anybody names. … I do like Marco. I do like (John) Kasich. … I like (Scott) Walker actually in a lot of ways. I hit him very hard. … But I’ve always liked him. There are people I like, but I don’t think they like me because I have hit them hard.”

Kasich, who is currently trailing behind Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the presidential race, said Tuesday there was “zero chance” he would be Trump’s running mate.

“I am running for president of the United States, and that’s it,” Kasich said on CBS This Morning. “If I’m not president, which I think I have an excellent shot to be, I will finish my term as governor and then maybe I’ll be a co-host on this show. You never know.”

Rubio has said he plans on going back to being a private citizen after finishing his term in the Senate, saying he is “not going to be anybody’s vice president” days after dropping out of the presidential race in March after losing to Trump in his home state, CBS News reports.

“I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way,” said Rubio. “I’m not going to be vice president, I’m not running for governor of Florida, I’m going to finish out my term in the Senate over the next ten months. We’re going to work really hard here and we have some things we want to achieve. And then I’ll be a private citizen.”

As for Scott Walker, who dropped out of the race in September after a brief run and endorsed Cruz ahead of his state’s April primary, he said he was shocked to be floated as a potential pick, but didn’t rule anything out.

“I literally just heard it in the car and I said — I laughed — it’s kind of interesting to hear that after the things that were said about me a couple weeks ago,” Walker told Politico. “But I’m focused on being the governor of the state of Wisconsin…. That’s not even on my radar and it certainly wouldn’t be with — I guess I was shocked more than anything to hear that.”

Walker also speculated on the likelihood the nominee will be able to pick his own vice president in the case of a contested convention. “I think if you’ve got a contested convention, I don’t know that anyone’s going to get the pick,” he said. “The delegates may pick the vice presidential running mate.”

Trump has previously hinted at what he is looking for in a vice president.

“I do want somebody that’s political, because I want to get lots of great legislation we all want passed,” Trump said at a Regent University Q&A in February, according to CNN. “We’re going to probably choose somebody that’s somewhat political.”

He also said the person would need to make a “great president” should something happen to him.

 

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