Vance says he’s not lobbying to be Trump VP pick

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said on Monday that he’s not lobbying to become former President Trump’s running mate, even as his name rises in veepstakes talks. 

“My attitude towards it is, if it comes to me, great. But it’s not something I’m going to lobby for. I don’t think that’s the right attitude to take towards it, and you know maybe, Trump respects that. Maybe he doesn’t, but that’s ultimately his call,” Vance said on “FOX & Friends.” 

The first-term Ohio senator dismissed a suggestion from Fox News’s Lawrence Jones that he’s “the obvious pick” and said he hasn’t talked to Trump about it. 

“Look, it’s ultimately Donald Trump’s decision. There’s a lot of talented people to pick from. And look, I’m glad it’s not my decision because there are so many good people. But as I’ve said to other people, I have not talked to Donald Trump about it. I’m very interested in helping him out whatever that looks like,” Vance said, adding that “if he asks me to serve, I will certainly do it.” 

Vance was once a critic of the former president, but he has become a staunch ally since taking office in the midterms. 

“I was wrong about him,” Vance told CNN last month. “It’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to get him elected.”

Vance is one of several names rumored to be on Trump’s shortlist as the search for a running mate ramps up. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) and Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Vance have all reportedly received recent vetting requests from the Trump campaign. 

Trump has said he plans to announce his vice presidential pick at the Republican national convention this July. Just days beforehand, he’s set to be sentenced following his historic conviction on criminal charges in New York.