Asked repeatedly Sunday while appearing on Meet the Press, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott would not say if he would commit to accepting the results of the 2024 presidential election.
Scott, South Carolina’s junior senator, is reportedly under consideration to be Trump’s vice presidential nominee.
Scott’s own campaign for president did not gain traction despite bringing a large warchest into the race. After officially launching his campaign for the Republican nomination in May 2023, he dropped about about six months later.
“I hope the president will choose a person who helps the country unite and heal,” Scott, who endorsed Trump ahead of the New Hampshire primary, told host Kristen Welker about Trump’s selection for vice president.
Welker went on to ask Scott about whether he would commit to accepting the 2024 election results.
Scott voted to certify the 2020 election results, which President Joe Biden won, but Trump did not accept. Scott said the election wasn’t stolen.
“At the end of the day, the 47th president of the United States will be President Donald Trump,” Scott said. “I’m excited to get back to low inflation, low unemployment.”
But Welker pressed Scott five times and asked for a “yes or no” response.
“There (are) clear facts here,” Scott said. “President Trump himself said he expects this election to be fair, he expects it to be honest, and he expects to win. That’s what the presidential candidate should expect and I expect the exact same thing, and frankly, the American people agree with him. This is an issue that is not an issue, so I’m not going to make it an issue.”
When Welker pointed out Scott was not committing to accepting the results, Scott appeared to criticize Welker’s insistence for an answer to a question he eventually called a hypothetical.
“This is why so many Americans believe that NBC is an extension of the Democrat Party,” Scott said. “At the end of the day, I say what I say. I know what the American people, their voices will be heard and I believe that President Trump will be our next president. It’s that simple.”