Trump casts uncertainty on leading VP candidates

Former President Donald Trump hosted several possible vice presidential candidates at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida over the weekend and reportedly had several thoughts about the cavalcade of possible running mates.

The Republicans who made the pilgrimage to South Florida for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee included Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and J.D. Vance (R-OH), along with Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Byron Donalds (R-FL). While Trump reportedly praised most of his candidates, it wasn’t all good news for the vice presidential hopefuls, according to audio obtained by the Washington Post.

Vance’s past criticisms of Trump

The freshman Ohio senator was a longtime critic of Trump but has changed his tune on the former president in recent years. Since he was elected in 2022, he has been one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the Senate.

In discussing his thoughts on the possible running mate, Trump said he “turned out to be incredible” but also noted how Vance had been skeptical of him. Loyalty has been one of the key factors for the former president in his bid for a second term after he felt that several people in his first administration had been disloyal to him.

“J.D. has turned out to be incredible. You know, he wasn’t a supporter of mine. It shows you I can change him. He was saying things like, ‘This guy’s a total disaster,’” Trump said, according to the outlet.

Scott’s performance

Trump was complimentary about Scott’s performance in Florida over the weekend, but for a different role, according to reports.

“As a candidate, he did a good job, but as a surrogate, he’s unbelievable,” Trump said about the South Carolina senator, according to Axios.

On the flip side, the former president said he believes “people thought he was a little bit dull,” which could lower his chances of landing a spot on Trump’s ticket.

The Florida man problem

A few Florida men, including Donalds and Rubio, went to Mar-a-Lago for the weekend, but one question is still in Trump’s mind about a pick from the Sunshine State, according to the report.

The 12th Amendment stipulates that the presidential or vice presidential candidate must be from a different state than the electors. If Trump, a Florida resident, picks a Florida running mate, he would have to sacrifice the state’s 30 electoral votes in an expectedly close contest for the White House.

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Trump offered praise for Donalds and Rubio but noted the “minor Florida problem” for them.

The former president, who ran as a New Yorker in 2016, does have properties in other states and could change his state residency to negate the problem if he picks a Florida man, or he could force the running mate to change his or her residency.