6 names on Donald Trump's VP shortlist

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, February 24, 2024

Tim Scott

Sen. Tim Scott, who has represented South Carolina in the U.S. Senate since 2013, was singled out for praise by Trump at the town hall event in Greenville. "He's been so great, he's been such a great advocate," Trump said.

Scott, 58, was one of several candidates seeking the Republican nomination for president. He dropped out of the race in November before a single primary occurred.

Reflecting on his unsuccessful presidential campaign at the town hall, Trump remarked, "He has been much better for me than he was for himself." According to Trump, "I watched his campaign, and he doesn't like talking about himself, but boy does he talk about Trump." The former president also described Scott as "fantastic."

Then-South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley appointed Scott, who represented South Carolina's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives at the time, to the U.S. Senate in 2013 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Sen. Jim DeMint. More than a decade later, Haley remains Trump's only major rival for the Republican nomination.

Scott became the first African American to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate. Scott won the 2014 special election to finish the remainder of DeMint's term with 61.2% of the vote. He won full terms in 2016 and 2022, capturing 60.5% and 62.9% support, respectively. Scott would become the first African American man to serve as vice president if selected by Trump.

Scott developed a national profile even before he announced his presidential bid last year. In 2020, following the death of George Floyd in police custody, he authored a police reform bill that conditioned federal funding on whether or not state or local governments banned police officers from placing suspects in "chokeholds" that temporarily restrict their ability to breathe.

It also would have required state and local law enforcement agencies to report statistics about use-of-force incidents and officer-involved deaths annually. The bill did not become law, as it failed to secure the 60 votes necessary for passage in the U.S. Senate.

Scott also delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden's address to a joint session of Congress in 2021. Scott, who is not married, attends Seacoast Church in Charleston.