Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s scheduled meeting with Donald Trump on Monday has been postponed as a major storm threatens the Gulf Coast.
Scott has said the meeting in New York with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was not related to potentially being chosen as Trump’s running mate.
In fact, Scott told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Friday, if he were offered the position, “I’ll say no.”
“I’m going to pass on that. I’ll have two years left when Donald gets elected,” Scott said on “Wolf.” “I like this job. I worked hard to get this job.”
Scott said he initiated the meeting to discuss his Florida strategy, telling Blitzer, “I called Donald. I talked to him quite a bit.”
But that’s been put on hold for now, as heavy rains and high winds have put the western coast of Florida on watch. In a news release Sunday Scott warned of “possible severe weather, heavy rain, and flooding from a tropical depression developing in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Scott aide Melissa Stone said that drove postponement of the get-together with Trump.
“Gov. Scott’s trip to New York City has been postponed so he can stay here and monitor the storm,” she said. “I will keep you updated on date it is rescheduled.”
Whenever that occurs Trump’s strategy for the fall campaign will still be a ripe topic. Florida is a perennial key swing state in presidential elections, and with Trump’s close ties to the state — he frequents his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach and owns several other properties in the state — it may be within his reach.
Scott noted that 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney nearly won Florida four years ago, and he told Blitzer that given Trump’s electoral success so far, the billionaire has a good chance in the state. “I was not the establishment candidate and we won, and I want to tell him what it takes to win,” Scott said.
Scott was elected governor of Florida in 2010 and re-elected in 2014, and he said those two victories will give him insight to share with Trump in their meeting, when it was scheduled for Monday.
Scott is confident that with the right strategy, Trump can pull off a victory in November.
“I predict he’ll win Florida,” Scott said. “I believe Donald Trump can win big if he does the right things.”