MIAMI.- Despite Senator Marco Rubio’s enthusiastic appearance at a Donald Trump rally in Doral, the possibility of the Florida legislator being the former president’s running mate remains uncertain.
Trump has publicly expressed interest in Rubio, but some analysts point to the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as an obstacle, since the rule “makes it impossible” for a president and vice president to be from the same state.
In an interview with Fox News Radio, Trump said that “if you choose someone from Florida, it gets complicated. You have to deal with delegates or a possible resignation.”
Although Rubio could resign his Senate seat and move to another state, this option was not mentioned by Trump.
The former president, however, praised Rubio’s performance at the rally, calling him “great” and “very popular,” and said he had included him among his vice presidential candidates.
“Well, he’s very good and we’ve got some great people that we’re considering. We’ve got, as they say, a deep bench, but Marco was great last night, very popular,” Trump said of Rubio.
Despite the uncertainty, shares of the “yes” vote for Rubio’s candidacy on the Polymarket prediction market have risen to 16 cents, putting him in contention with Republican Sen. JD Vance.
The most popular choice, however, remains “Another Man” (43 cents), which includes names like North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Rubio’s speech at Doral seemed like an audition to be Trump’s running mate, or perhaps for another top White House post.
The senator repeated Trump’s talking points and offered his own twist on humor, recalling his role as Trump’s surrogate in the press room during the last presidential debate.
Trump, in an apparent nod toward Rubio’s possible selection, told media covering the rally: “You probably think I’m going to announce Marco as vice president, because that generates a lot of press.”
Although the final decision has not yet been made, the possibility of Rubio being chosen remains a strong possibility.
Rubio ran against Trump in a closely contested 2016 primary, with the eventual winner dubbing Rubio “Little Marco” and the two arguing over hand size.
However, both worked during Trump’s first term on Latin American policy, doubling the child tax credit and loans to small businesses during the pandemic.
Former President Trump has said he would “love” to announce his decision at the Republican National Convention, but the exact date has not yet been confirmed.
