GOP senator: Trump endorsement could depend on VP

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) says her decision on whether to endorse Donald Trump will likely be influenced by whom he chooses as his running mate.

“This evolves daily. There are surprises daily. And I’m going to see what happens at the convention,” Collins told David Axelrod on “The Axe Files” podcast, produced by CNN and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

{mosads}”It’s going to be very important to me whom Donald Trump chooses as his running mate. That is arguably the most important decision that a candidate can make.”

Collins said she wanted to see if Trump’s vice presidential pick would “balance out some areas in foreign policy where he does not have experience.”

The Maine senator criticized Trump, saying she doesn’t like that he “calls anyone names.”

“I think that is unpresidential and not worthy of the kind of public discourse that we should have,” she said.

“And I have been critical of him for criticizing Hillary Clinton for ‘playing the woman’s card.’ I think that demeans her accomplishments and, as a woman, I’m particularly concerned when someone demeans the accomplishments of someone who has done a lot in her life, even if I don’t agree with that person.”

Still, Collins made clear she and Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, have different ideas of the role of government and differ on major policy issues.

“But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t work well with her when she was in the Senate,” she said. “I did.”

Earlier this month, Collins indicated she might be open to supporting Clinton over her own party’s presumptive nominee. She said although it’s “unlikely” she would vote for the Democrat, she wasn’t “ruling anything out.”