Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) defended former President Trump after he was met with boos during a speech to members of the Libertarian Party over the weekend.
Trump addressed the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday night, where he was met with some boos as he asked for their support. Scott, a potential vice president contender for Trump, dismissed the negative reactions to the former president at the event over the weekend and argued Trump is trying to win support from the entire country.
“Well, I saw a wave of red hats at the Libertarian convention. Donald Trump’s popularity continues to increase, but then he’s not just going to the Libertarian convention. He’s also doing rallies in [the] Bronx. He’s doing something, what I consider a 50-state strategy,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“So I give him a lot of credit and going to places where Republicans have not gone before. If we’re going to win this election cycle, we must go where we’re not invited,” he added. “And to see the former president take that seriously is, in my opinion, a strong sign and one of the reasons why … we are seeing the poll numbers moving in his direction.”
Trump mocked Libertarians at their own convention Saturday after they booed him when he suggested they should nominate him as their candidate for president.
“Only do that if you want to win,” he told the crowd, speaking about nominating him. “If you want to lose don’t do that. Keep getting your 3 percent every four years.”
There were some Trump supporters spotted in the crowd, with a few chants of “We want Trump” breaking out at times. In another attempt to appeal to the party, he committed to appointing a Libertarian to his Cabinet if he secures a win to the White House in November.
Scott is one of the possible contenders for Trump’s running mate, and he endorsed the former president shortly after ending his own White House bid. He emphasized Sunday that Trump is trying to win over the votes of every American.
“He doesn’t just want to win the votes of the American people. He’s trying to win the hearts of the American people, unite our country, and start steering us towards the strongest, most powerful, prosperous future we could have,” he said.