--- description: Marco Rubio says he does not want to be considered as a running mate for Donald Trump, saying that he still has reservations about Trump. title: Marco Rubio Doesn't Want to Be Donald Trump's Vice President image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca4386dcc3519f23/6988927df887dc0cb7e95c87/marco-rubio.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Marco Rubio Doesn't Want to Be Donald Trump's Vice President by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 9, 2016 9:30 PM CUT  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks to supporters at the Palafox Wharf on March 12, 2016 in Pensacola, Florida. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks to supporters at the Palafox Wharf on March 12, 2016 in Pensacola, Florida.Mark Wallheiser—Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 9, 2016 9:30 PM CUT Sen. Marco Rubio says he does not want to be considered as a running mate for Donald Trump. In a [statement](https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/729768056491233280/photo/1 "undefined") to CNN on Monday, the former Republican candidate said that Trump “will be best served by a running mate and by surrogates who fully embrace his campaign. As such, I have never sought, will not seek and do not want to be considered for Vice President.” It’s a time-honored tradition to feign disinterest in the vice presidency, and running mates have waved off the suggestion in the past, often saying they were flattered to be mentioned but too focused on their current jobs. Some of Trump’s potential veep picks have stuck with the line that they’re “not interested” in the job, which gives them just enough wiggle room to accept the job down the road, including [South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley](http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article75643302.html "undefined"), [Ohio Senator Rob Portman](http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/05/rob-portman-no-trump-vice-president-222848 "undefined"), [New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez](http://www.weeklystandard.com/susana-martinez-isnt-interested-in-being-trumps-vp-spokesman-says/article/2002249 "undefined") and [Florida Gov. Rick Scott](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/rick-scott-donald-trump-veep-222828 "undefined"). [Maine Gov. Paul LePage](http://www.pressherald.com/2016/05/04/lepage-says-job-in-a-trump-administration-would-interest-him/ "undefined") laughed off the suggestion he could serve as Trump’s VP saying, “We’re too much alike.” And [New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie](http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/04/christie%5Fhas%5Fhard%5Ftime%5Fbelieving%5Fhell%5Fbe%5Ftrump%5Fvee.html "undefined") coyly said he has “a hard time believing anyone would ask me to be vice president.” But Rubio went a step further, reiterating the “reservations about \[Trump’s\] campaign and concerns with many of his policies” that he raised while running against the frontrunner in the Republican primary. Rubio said he will instead be focusing on “representing the people of Florida, retaining a conservative majority in the Senate and electing principled conservatives across the country.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4323752/marco-rubio-donald-trump-vice-president/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4323752/marco-rubio-donald-trump-vice-president/"},"headline":"Marco Rubio Doesn't Want to Be Donald Trump's Vice President","datePublished":"2016-05-09T21:30:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:24:25.378Z","description":"\"He will be best served by a running mate and by surrogates who fully embrace his campaign\"","url":"https://time.com/4323752/marco-rubio-donald-trump-vice-president/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca4386dcc3519f23/6988927df887dc0cb7e95c87/marco-rubio.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca4386dcc3519f23/6988927df887dc0cb7e95c87/marco-rubio.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GOP Presidential Candidate Sen. 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