Sen. Tim Scott (SC) found several ways to deviate from talking about Donald Trump during a sit-down interview with NBC News’ Ali Vitali last week. (You can watch a clip of the interview below)
Republicans launched a committee to explore the 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday.
“I think one of the open questions here is you look at the polls, you look at the fact that in this Republican field, President Trump is the guy to beat. Why not run again?” asked Vitali.
“One of the things I heard about the Faith in America Tour is that they are concerned about the most important issues in life which is what drives their decisions,” replied Scott, who said of the contributions he wrote for Trump’s 2017 overhaul of the tax code.
“But that’s Trump’s bill,” Vitali replied. “I mean, where you’re different from him is because by running you’re going to say, ‘I think I could be a better president than him.'”
“Actually, I think it’s too easy,” Scott added before handing back the tax bill.
Vitali then asked Scott about Trump’s praise of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“All we know is that if you look at the new axis of evil, starting with China and President Xi including President Putin, and you certainly look at the role of Iran as well,” replied Scott, who said America needs leadership to step back. against “enemies” like China.
“But Trump is no longer denying it,” Vitali said.
“Well, we’re talking about what I want, and you’re talking about what other people want. So I want to keep talking about what I can control and not what other people control,” Scott said.
It’s not the first time Scott has swerved away from addressing the question directly.
Republicans have found ways to avoid direct answers about the national abortion ban and the 15-week abortion ban during interviews over the past week.