Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio said Sunday that former President Donald Trump has not discussed joining his campaign as a running mate.
“Did you get a call from Donald Trump? Did he ask you to be his running mate?” host Kristen Welker asked Vance during an interview on NBC News' “Meet the Press.”
Vance, who is on Trump's shortlist to be a running mate, said he “hasn't received any calls” but would let the media know if he received one.
“If we get a call, we'll let the media know,” he said, “but most importantly, we're working to get Donald Trump elected. Whoever becomes vice president, he has a lot of great people to choose from.”
During the interview, Vance also defended President Trump's recent comments that a special counsel should be appointed to investigate President Joe Biden and his family if he is elected to a second term.
“It's interesting how the media and Democrats have lost their minds on this statement,” he said. “Donald Trump is talking about appointing a special counsel to investigate Joe Biden for wrongdoing. Joe Biden has been doing exactly that for the last few years, plus has gone above and beyond to engage in a legal campaign against his political opponents. I think what Donald Trump is saying is that the previous administration should be investigated.”
Vance, an Ohio Republican, is one of three GOP senators on Trump's shortlist to be Trump's running mate, and has emerged as a front-runner along with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, sources told NBC News.
Senator Rubio also said in an interview with CNN's “State of the Union” that President Trump has not yet decided who he will choose as his running mate.
Moderator Dana Bash pointed out that the Constitution states that presidential electors cannot vote for president and vice president from the same state, creating a potential conflict between Rubio, a Florida resident, and Trump. She then asked whether Rubio would be prepared to move to another state or resign from his senate seat if Trump chose him as his running mate.
Rubio rejected the idea, calling it “presumptuous” and saying he had “no idea” who Trump would pick as his running mate.
When Bash asked Rubio again if he had considered the possibility of leaving Florida or the Senate if selected as Trump's running mate, Rubio again said it would be “presumptuous of me to talk about those things publicly” because Trump hadn't made a decision.
“Regardless of who he chooses, once he makes that decision, those conversations will be happening as to who he chooses,” he said, “but we're not there yet. But we will be there soon, either way.”
A frequent news personality and headliner at several Trump fundraisers, Vance stands out from Trump's other running mates with his track record of aligning himself with key policies supported by much of the MAGA base.
He has also received public support from the former president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.
The timing of Trump's vice presidential pick announcement was delayed following Biden's poor performance in last month's debate, a person familiar with the deliberations told NBC News. Trump had suggested a decision on his running mate would be made closer to the Republican National Convention, which begins in Milwaukee on July 15.
