Those eager to become Donald Trump’s running mate have come to an unfortunate conclusion: They almost certainly won’t make the Republican ticket if they say they’ll accept the 2024 election results. After all, the former president is refusing to commit to honoring the results — the same posture he adopted four years ago — so the GOP’s prospective vice presidents are sticking to the same script.
Months ago, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik helped get the ball rolling, refusing to say whether she’d vote to certify the results of the 2024 election. More recently, Sen. Tim Scott appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where host Kristen Welker repeatedly pressed the South Carolinian to simply say, “yes or no,” whether he was prepared to accept the results of the upcoming presidential election. Scott refused.
Last week, Sen. J.D. Vance told CNN that he “plans“ to accept the election results, but only if they meet the Ohio Republican’s undefined standards for a “free and fair” process.
This GOP contingent continues to grow. NBC News reported:
Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, widely seen as a potential vice presidential pick for former President Donald Trump, on Sunday refused to say whether he would accept the results of the 2024 presidential election, instead blaming Democrats for sowing doubts about the election.
When Welker raised the subject during the senator’s latest “Meet the Press” appearance, Rubio replied, “I think you’re asking the wrong person. The Democrats are the ones that have opposed every Republican victory since 2000. Every single one.”
It was at this point when the Florida Republican turned his attention to Hillary Clinton.
WATCH: Will you accept the results of the 2024 no matter who wins? @kwelkernbc asks.@SenMarcoRubio (R-Fla): "No matter what happens? No, if it's an unfair election."
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 19, 2024
Welker: "Senator, no matter who wins."
Rubio: "I think you're asking the wrong person." pic.twitter.com/COUL2MvPm9
So, a few things.
First, as we’ve discussed, in the not-too-distant past, prominent American politicians were not asked whether they were prepared to accept their own country’s election results. The line of inquiry seemed wholly unnecessary: Our political system was stable and healthy enough to make the answer to such a question obvious.
But as the radicalization of Republican politics intensifies, leading officials from the party aren’t just confronting the question, they’re also struggling to answer it.
Second, Rubio clearly knew the question was coming, since other VP contenders have been pressed on the same point, and he had plenty of time to come up with an answer. Evidently, this was the best he could come up with. Indeed, it’s worth emphasizing that the senator didn’t just try to shift the focus to Democrats, he also never got around to answering the question himself.
Third, the idea that there’s a parallel between Democratic responses to recent Republican presidential victories and Trump’s reaction to his 2020 defeat is so incredibly ludicrous, it’s incredible that Rubio chose to peddle the line on national television.








