Florida Gov. Rick Scott is going to New York to discuss campaign strategy with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, not to be vetted as a running mate, the governor told national media outlets Friday.
The meeting is set for today.
In the interviews Friday on CNN and CNBC, Scott said “no” when asked if he was willing to submit to the background checks and interviews that likely would be part of getting on Trump’s short list of vice presidential candidates.
“I’m going to pass on that,” Scott told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
“I’ll say no. I’m going to pass. I like this job,” Scott continued. “I worked hard to get this job.”
Scott, who endorsed Trump in March and who again predicted the GOP candidate will win the Florida vote in November, went further on CNBC in detailing the upcoming Big Apple huddle.
“We’re going to talk about my race in 2010 and 2014, how I won and how we can help him make sure he wins Florida,” Scott said.
Poll results released Friday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research showed expected Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton up 45 percent to 42 percent over Trump in Florida, with voters deeply divided along gender, race and ethnic lines.
Clinton was up 55 percent to 33 percent among women, 90 percent to 4 percent among black voters and 68 percent to 20 percent among Hispanic voters. Men favored Trump by a 52 percent to 34 percent margin, and white voters backed him 55 percent to 31 percent.
Scott, noting that in 2010 he was a “business person and outsider” as is Trump, added that Trump’s message of “job creation, defend the country and build up the military” will resonate in Florida.
Asked about the “tone and tenor” of Trump’s campaign, Scott replied “in my race I wanted everybody to be safe and secure. I wanted people to come to my events. Everybody runs their race a different way.”
Scott later said he hasn’t been to a Trump rally. “I couldn’t speak to how his rallies are run,” the governor said.
Both interviews also focused on Scott calling for President Barack Obama to provide funding to fight the mosquito-borne Zika virus while Congress is in recess.
Obama has pushed Congress to provide $1.9 billion to combat Zika. The House has supported $622.1 million, while Senate is willing to provide $1.1 billion.