Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) lauded his fellow Palmetto State senator, Tim Scott, claiming he would be a great running mate for President Trump in November because ‘there’s some chemistry there.”
“There’s some chemistry there. I’ve been around them both,” Graham said Saturday in an interview with Fox News. “He likes him. Tim really is leaning into helping President Trump become president.”
Scott, who suspended his own White House bid in November, formally endorsed Trump last month and has been a staple on the campaign trail supporting the former president ever since. Many Haley allies questioned the decision, as Trump’s only remaining rival was the one to put the senator in his current role.
Graham argued Saturday that Scott is the right choice because he “is ready to be president,” which he called “the most important thing” for the vice president.
In a town hall event in Greenville, S.C., this week, Trump confirmed a set of names for his shortlist for vice president candidates.
The list included Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), South Dakota Gov. Kristie Neom (R) and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who served in Congress as a Democrat but has since shifted to more conservative views.
Trump said all of the candidates were “solid.”
“I hope he’ll pick him. I know he’s got a lot of good choices, President Trump, but you couldn’t do any better than Tim Scott,” Graham told Fox News. “He’s solid in every way from a conservative point of view.”
“I think he’d help grow the Party and he’s genuinely a nice man,” he continued. “So, the country would be in good hands if Tim Scott were the vice president.”
After endorsing Trump, Scott signaled that he was open to serving beside Trump.
The former president lavished praise on the South Carolina senator Friday, saying the senator is a “much better representative for me than he is” for himself.
“He’s the greatest surrogate I’ve ever seen,” Trump said during a rally in Rock Hill, S.C.
“This guy went from modest, high-quality man, introducing his mother — who’s incredible, by the way. … He’s a much better representative for me than he is a representative for himself,” Trump continued. “And it’s true. And that’s a great compliment. And you know why? Because he’s a high-quality person. He doesn’t like talking about himself.”
His comments came just a day before Palmetto State voters took to the polls in South Carolina’s GOP primary.
Graham noted that he will see both Trump and Scott Saturday evening, as the former president faces off against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the state’s primary.
Trump is currently leading Haley by 30 points — 63.8 percent to 33.1 percent — in South Carolina, according to the polling index from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ.