Highlights:
February 2016: Scott Endorsed Rubio For President After The Iowa Caucuses. According to NBC News, “Sen. Marco Rubio scored a key endorsement on Tuesday as South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott gave the Republican presidential hopeful his backing. In a video posted to Rubio’s Youtube page, Scott said the Republican party has ‘one shot’ to beat Hillary Clinton in 2016 and ‘that shot is Marco Rubio.’ ‘I’m putting my confidence and trust in Marco Rubio because I believe he takes us to that better future,’ Scott said. ‘Marco Rubio understands that, here in America, it’s not about where you start, but where you’re going.” [NBC News, 2/2/16]
Scott Criticized Trump For His Failure To Denounce KKK And Claimed He “Does Not Represent The Republican Party.” According to the Washington Times, “Sen. Tim Scott, the Senate’s only black Republican, denounced Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for failing when prodded Sunday to denounce the Ku Klux Klan. ‘Any candidate who cannot immediately condemn a hate group like the KKK does not represent the Republican Party, and will not unite it,’ said the South Carolina senator in a statement. ‘If Donald Trump can’t take a stand against the KKK, we cannot trust him to stand up for America against Putin, Iran or ISIS.’ Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential frontrunner, came under fire Sunday for repeatedly pleading ignorance when asked if he would ‘unequivocally condemn’ the endorsement of white nationalist David Duke, a former KKK grand wizard and Louisiana state legislator.” [Washington Times, 2/29/16]
Scott Called Trump’s Comments Regarding A Hispanic Judge’s Ability To Be Fair “Racially Toxic.” According to the Huffington Post, “Republican Sen. Tim Scott on Monday denounced Donald Trump’s remarks that a Mexican-American judge can’t be unbiased in the case involving Trump University, calling them ‘racially toxic.’” [Huffington Post, 6/7/16]
Scott Called Trump’s Actions In Access Hollywood Tape “Toxic,” “Disgusting,” And “Indefensible.” According to the Greenville News, “Scott, an incumbent Republican running for his first full Senate term, had initially used the term to describe his choice for president when speaking with the Post and Courier’s editorial board after video emerged of Trump apparently bragging about groping and kissing women without their consent. Thursday afternoon, hours after six women publicly accused Trump of similar behavior, Scott said that while Trump’s comments were ‘toxic’ and ‘disgusting,’ the GOP candidate remained the ‘lesser of two evils.’ ‘I’m not going to try to defend toxic comments that are indefensible. I’m not going to say comments are not disgusting when they are,’ Scott told the Greenville News during a visit to the Upstate.” [Greenville News, 10/14/16]
Scott Said Voters Should Have Been “Very Concerned” About Trump’s Remarks In Access Hollywood Tape. According to the Daily Journal Messenger, “Scott denounced Trump’s lewd comments about women on a 2005 videotape. In footage released Friday by The Washington Post, Trump seems to brag about groping and kissing women. ‘I will tell you that we all should be very concerned about the comments of the Republican nominee without any question,’ said Scott, who got an ‘Amen!’ and a few nodding heads. ‘What you’ve heard is unattractive, indefensible and oftentimes disgusting.’” [Daily Journal Messenger, 10/13/16]
VIDEO: Scott Said That Trump’s Comments Were “Indefensible” And His “Moral Authority” Was “Compromised” After His Remarks On Charlottesville. According to a VICE News interview, “In an interview with VICE News on Thursday, he condemned the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville and questioned the president’s moral authority following the tragedy. ‘I’m not going to defend the indefensible…[Trump’s] comments on Monday were strong. His comments on Tuesday started erasing the comments that were strong. What we want to see from our president is clarity and moral authority. And that moral authority is compromised when Tuesday happened. There’s no question about that.'” [Vice News, 8/17/17]
Scott Criticized Trump’s Criticisms Of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. According to Fox News, “Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., on Monday criticized former President Trump's recent comments attacking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as ‘terrible and not helpful’ amid Hamas' terrorist attacks against the Jewish state. Scott, a presidential candidate seeking the Republican nomination in 2024, made the comments about his GOP primary opponent's remarks during an event hosted by the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service and The Associated Press. ‘We should be loyal to our allies while being lethal to our adversaries. Anything less than that jeopardizes life,’ the South Carolina Republican said.” [Fox News, 10/17/23]
Trump Criticized Netanyahu For Intelligence Failings And Failure To Back The U.S. Against An Iranian General During The Trump Administration. According to Fox News, “Trump blasted Netanyahu during a speech on Wednesday, saying the Israeli prime minister ‘let us down’ shortly before the U.S. military assassinated top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in early 2020. The Republican front-runner also suggested that Netanyahu’s conversations with the Biden administration helped Hezbollah, a terror group Israel fears may launch an attack from the country's north. The former president also said Israel's intelligence agencies needed to ‘step up their game’ for not detecting Hamas' attack, and he referred to Hezbollah as ‘very smart.’” [Fox News, 10/17/23]
November 2021: Scott Said He “Of Course” He Would Support Trump If He Ran In 2024. According to The Hill, “South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (R) said on Sunday he would support former President Trump if he ran for president again in 2024. When asked at the First In The South Republican Action Conference if he would support the former president in a 2024 run, Scott responded ‘of course,’ The Post and Courier reported. Scott’s expression of support for a potential future Trump campaign comes after Trump endorsed Scott in March for the latter’s Senate reelection bid.” [The Hill, 11/2/21]
February 2022: Scott That He Would Accept If Asked To Be Trump’s VP Pick. According to the Guardian, “The only Black Republican in the Senate, Tim Scott of South Carolina, has indicated a willingness to be Donald Trump’s running mate should the former president mount another White House campaign. Asked by Fox News if he would consider joining a Trump ticket in 2024, Scott said: ‘Everybody wants to be on President Trump’s bandwagon, without any question.”’ [Guardian, 2/20/22]
VIDEO: August 2022: Scott Refused To Say Trump Was “The Best Representative Of The Republican Party,” But Did Call Him “The Largest Voice In American Politics.” According to CBS News via YouTube, “DOKOUPIL: It's got two chapters on the former president, President Trump. You clearly had a good relationship with him. [...] Do you still feel that he is the best representative of the Republican Party? SCOTT: Certainly is the largest voice in American politics period. Republican or Democrat. They’ll say he’ll continue to be. The more focus you put on him, the more likely the supporters will rally around him. There is a huge divide in our country. [...] The good news is I get to answer the question how I see the question. The truth is that he is without question the most powerful voice in all of politics. And that’s why so many people left and right continue to focus on President Trump.” [CBS News via YouTube, 8/9/22]
August 2022: Scott Refused To Say Whether He Wanted Trump To Run For President Again, Saying He Would Rather Discuss “Principles And Not Personalities.” According to CNN via YouTube, “BASH: Donald Trump and his allies are previewing an announcement potentially soon of a run again. Do you want another difficult campaign in your words? And a difficult four years, should he run? SCOTT: Well there’s no doubt that one of the things that I celebrate in the book. I try– honestly Dana, I try to tell both sides of the story. I want the full leger to be seen. While we had some challenges— I can name several of them— there were some really important points where we saw the country coming together. [...] BASH: Do you want the former President to run again? SCOTT: I want the same policy positions that we had before— BASH: Can somebody else do that and not somebody who makes things, in your words, difficult? SCOTT: Well, I hope that we will find our way back to a place where we’re talking about principles and not personalities. And that’s one of the challenges that we have to embrace as a country together.” [CNN via YouTube, 8/10/22]
January 2023: When Asked About Trump’s 2024 Bid, Scott Said Republicans “Need To Make Sure That We Have Inspirational Leaders Leading Us To The Next American Century.” According to Fox News via YouTube, “KILMEADE: Donald Trump will be in South Carolina this weekend and then he’s going over to New Hampshire. So, as you know, he is in and I know you guys are buddies so it might be tough for you to run against him, but it doesn’t look like it will dissuade you, right? SCOTT: Well, we got to thank God for the most amazing four years in my lifetime of a presidency. Look at the policies that we saw passed. President Trump led to the strongest economy we’ve seen in my lifetime. We have a lot to celebrate as Republicans, but we also need to make sure that we have inspirational leaders leading us to the next American century.” [Fox News via YouTube, 1/28/23]
Scott On Trump’s Chances In The General Election: “I Don’t Think He Can Win.” According to NBC News, “Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said Donald Trump doesn’t have what it takes to win a general election, the sharpest jab he has thrown at the former president and a clear rebuke of the electability of Trump, who continues to lead the 2024 Republican primary field. Scott made the remark Monday night in response to a question from a voter who asked why she should no longer support Trump. ‘I don’t think he can win,’ Scott said. ‘You have to be able to win in Georgia. I don’t think he can win in Georgia. I think you’ll have to be able to win in Pennsylvania.’” [NBC News, 10/23/23]
VIDEO: When Asked To Clarify His Remarks That Trump Could Not Win, Scott Said That Republicans Needed A Candidate Who Would Help Solidify Their Base And Attract Independent Voters. According to Tim Scott at the Republican Presidential Primary Debate, “HOST: Senator Scott, you said former President Trump can't win. Make your case to Republican voters. SCOTT: Well, certainly. What I would say without any question is that the truth of my life destroys the lies of the radical left. We need a president and a candidate who will actually help our base solidify and attract independent voters into our party.’” [NBC News via YouTube, 11/8/23]
Scott Blamed Trump For GOP Losses In The Georgia Senate Runoffs. According to NBC News, “Scott also appeared to blame Trump for losses in Georgia’s 2021 runoff elections that cost the GOP control of the Senate when Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won. ‘Everybody remembers Jan. 6, 2020. But what we forget sometimes is Jan. 5,’ Scott said. ‘We had two Republican seats on the ballot in Georgia. And the party told northern Georgians to stay home.’” [NBC News, 10/23/23]
NBC News: Scott Made His “Strongest Rejection To Date Of Former President Donald Trump’s False Election Claims” About 2020. According to NBC News, “Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott said Friday that he did not believe the 2020 presidential election ‘was stolen,’ the South Carolina senator's strongest rejection to date of former President Donald Trump's false election claims.” [NBC News, 7/14/23]
Scott Suggested “There Was Cheating” In 2020, But That The Election Was Not “Stolen”
Scott: “There Was Cheating” In 2020, But The Election Was Not “Stolen.” According to NBC News, “‘I do not believe the election was stolen,’ Scott said in response to a question at a town hall event here. ‘There was cheating, but was the election stolen? There’s a difference. I think [in] every election there’s cheating.’” [NBC News, 7/14/23]
Politico Reported That Scott Sunk Thomas Farr’s Nomination To A District Court Due To His Past Actions On Race. According to Politico, “Tim Scott has done it again. The South Carolina Republican will oppose Thomas Farr to be a District Court judge, effectively killing the nomination on the Senate floor. It’s the second judge the Senate’s lone African-American GOP senator has tanked this year over their views and actions on race.” [Politico, 11/29/18]
Scott Withdrew His Support For A Circuit Court Nominee After He Raised Concerns About The Subject’s Problematic And Racist Articles He Wrote In College. According to the Daily Beast, “In an extraordinarily rare move on Thursday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) withdrew a circuit court judge nomination after Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) indicated that he would not vote for the nominee, causing other Republican senators to follow suit. According to a GOP source familiar with the matter, Scott, the only black Republican senator, raised concerns to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) about Ryan Bounds’ college writings which allegedly included racially charged comments and other controversial statements.” [Daily Beast, 7/19/18]