Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, on Sunday said former President Donald Trump has not spoken to him about joining his campaign as his vice presidential pick.
“Have you gotten the call from Donald Trump? Has he asked 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 has “not gotten the call” but would alert the media if that happens.
“We’ll let the media know if I ever get that call,” he said. “But most importantly, we’re just trying to work to elect Donald Trump. Whoever his vice president is, he’s got a lot of good people he could choose from.”
In the interview, Vance also defended Trump’s recent remarks 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 the Democrats have lost their mind 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 for the last few years and has done far more in addition to that, to engage in a campaign of lawfare against his political opposition. I think what Donald Trump is simply saying is we ought to investigate the prior administration.”
Vance, an Ohio Republican, is among three Republican senators on Trump’s short list for a running mate and has emerged as a top finalist alongside North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, sources told NBC News.
Rubio, in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” similarly said that Trump has not made a decision on his VP pick.
After host Dana Bash noted that the Constitution says presidential electors can’t vote for a president and a vice president from the same state — posing potential conflicts for Rubio and Trump, both of whom are Florida residents — she asked whether Rubio would be willing to move to another state or resign his Senate seat if Trump chooses him as his running mate.
Rubio dismissed the notion, saying it’s “presumptuous” and that he has “no idea” whom Trump is going to pick as his running mate.
Pressed again by Bash about whether he has thought of the possibility of leaving Florida or the Senate if he is chosen as Trump’s running mate, Rubio again said he thinks “it’s presumptuous to talk about any of those things in public” because Trump has not made a decision.
“When he makes those decisions, no matter who he picks, then those conversations will happen regarding whoever he picks,” he said. “But we’re not there yet. But we will be soon, one way or the other.”
Vance, who frequently appears on news programs and has headlined several Trump fundraisers, has distinguished himself from other Trump VP contenders through his record of aligning himself with key policies largely supported by the MAGA voter base.
He has also gained the outspoken support of Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son.
The timing of Trump’s VP announcement was delayed after Biden’s poor performance on the debate stage last month, sources familiar with the deliberations told NBC News. Trump had signaled that a decision on a running mate would be revealed closer to the Republican National Convention, which begins July 15 in Milwaukee.
Henry J. Gomez and Matt Dixon contributed.
