Sen. Bob Corker is withdrawing his name from consideration to be Donald Trump’s running mate, according to multiple reports.
The Tennessee Republican said he informed the presumptive nominee of his decision while campaigning with him on Tuesday in North Carolina.
{mosads}“There are people far more suited for being a candidate for vice president, and I think I’m far more suited for other types of things,” Corker told The Washington Post.
Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had been viewed as the kind of vice presidential selection that could ease concerns in the GOP about Trump’s unconventional campaign.
But Corker said he decided he wasn’t the right man for the job.
“It’s a highly political job, and that’s not who I am,” Corker said. “We had a very open conversation about that, and actually, we have been very candid about it from the very beginning of our meetings.”
“So, I’m going to move on,” Corker said. “I am very positive about him as a person. It was incredible to be with him in Raleigh and see the way people react to him. They’re so excited, and I truly believe he has such an opportunity ahead.”
During the campaign event with Corker, Trump stirred controversy by praising former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
“Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, right? He was a bad guy, really bad guy,” Trump said in Raleigh.
“But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn’t read them the rights, they didn’t talk. They were a terrorist, it was over,” he said.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), one of Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill, told reporters Wednesday he was “disappointed” in Corker’s decision to withdraw.
“I think he would have been a fine vice presidential nominee,” Sessions said. “He’s smart, hard-working.”
Trump and Corker “did share a view that our foreign policy needs to be more realistic,” Sessions added. “And that’s one of the things that attracted Corker to the positions that Trump has espoused.”
Trump appears to be in the late stages of his vice presidential selection process, with less than two weeks to go until the GOP’s nominating convention in Cleveland.
The businessman is said to be considering Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa) and others.
The timing of the announcement is up in the air, but some reports have said Trump could make his choice public next week.
Julian Hattem contributed.
– Updated at 4:08 p.m.
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