Mike Rounds won’t commit to endorsing the GOP nominee unless it’s Tim Scott

Sen. Mike Rounds, RS.D., would not commit Sunday to endorsing the eventual Republican presidential nominee if it weren’t for South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, whom Rounds endorsed.

During an interview on Meet the Press, Rounds was asked by NBC News’ Chuck Todd if he “would support anyone the Republicans nominate, even if they did.” [former President Donald Trump].”

Rounds said he’s confident Scott will secure the 2024 Republican nomination but would have to “reevaluate” if he didn’t.

“Well, for now, I’m hoping it will be Tim Scott,” he said. “And if not, I’ll have to reconsider because I’ve always supported the Republican nominee in the past.”

“I hope Tim is the candidate,” he added. “There will be some other good people as well, but I’ll hold that until we find out how Tim’s doing.”

When asked by Todd if the reason for not supporting the candidate is due to the legal issues Trump is facing, Rounds said, “Not so much — I just think there are some very good Republican people out there.” there are candidates.”

“And I’ll wait and see who comes out on top, but I’ve supported the Republican nominee in the past,” he added.

Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, announced his presidential nomination last month, joining a fast-growing field of GOP contenders looking to challenge Trump. In his campaign announcement, Scott referred to himself as the candidate “the far left fears most,” and described the campaign as a time of choosing between “victim or victory” and “heartache or greatness.”

In addition to Rounds, Sen. John Thune, RS.D., the No. 2 Senate Republican, also endorsed Scott and performed in an opening prayer during the announcement of his presidential campaign.

Rounds has repeatedly pointed to Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, previously hinting that lawmakers hoping to unite Republicans may be looking for a Trump alternative in 2024.

Trump’s remarks on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol drew public criticism on CNN last month, with the former president calling the riot “a beautiful day.”

“Clearly, the vast majority of us who were here on Jan. 6 would disagree with his approach in this regard,” Rounds said in response to Trump’s comments during the CNN town hall event. “So there are some things we agreed on, but there are a number of areas where we could disagree.”