- Sen. Tim Scott indicated that he'd be open to running on a 2024 ticket with former President Trump.
- "I think everybody wants to be on President Trump's bandwagon, without any question," he said on Fox News.
- Scott, a South Carolina conservative, is one of the highest-profile Black Republicans in the US.
Sen. Tim Scott on Sunday expressed a willingness to become former President Donald Trump's running mate if the former president pursues a 2024 White House bid.
During an interview on the Fox News program "Sunday Morning Futures," the South Carolina Republican signaled to host Maria Bartiromo that he was open to being a part of Trump's "bandwagon," noting that the former president remains by far the most influential member of the GOP.
"I think everybody wants to be on President Trump's bandwagon, without any question," he said. "One of the things I've said to the president is he gets to decide the future of our party and our country because he is still the loudest voice."
He continued: "What I hope happens is that we rally around the principles that lead to our greatest success."
Scott went on to say that while he wasn't actively seeking another job, he would be focused on winning reelection to a second full term this November.
"I am not looking for a seat on a ticket at this point. I am however looking to be reelected in South Carolina," he said.
He continued: "My hope is that you win next Friday's football game before thinking about any other one. So that's my primary responsibility."
Last year, Politico reported that Trump would likely look to women, conservatives of color, and close advisors to serve as his No. 2 if he pursues a 2024 campaign — a huge departure from his 2016 running mate, former Vice President Mike Pence.
While neither Trump nor Pence have officially declared a bid, they have both been testing the water for a possible contest, with the former president continuing to hold large campaign-style rallies and the former vice president speaking at numerous conservative functions across the country.
The senator has enjoyed a positive relationship with Trump, which continued after the former president left the White House in January 2021.
Trump met with Scott — one of the most prominent Black Republicans in the country — in the former president's Palm Beach political home base late last year.
"It was a really warm interaction," a Republican onlooker told Politico at the time. "Scott was appropriately deferential without being gross, like some people are. There was definitely chemistry there."
Scott has seen his stock rise in GOP circles — as a vice presidential candidate or a presidential nominee if Trump forgoes a bid — after offering the party's rebuttal to President Joe Biden's first joint address to Congress last April.
In the fourth quarter of 2021, the senator raised nearly $7 million, ending the year with $21.5 million in the bank, according to The Post and Courier.
Scott has served in the Senate since 2013, having been tapped by then-Republican Gov. Nikki Haley to fill the expired term of former Sen. Jim DeMint, who stepped down to become the president of the conservative Heritage Foundation.