Tim Scott reveals Charlottesville meeting was turning point in Trump relationship: 'He said, 'Help me''
Vice presidential contender Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., revealed the turning point in his relationship with former President Trump, explaining how their discussion over his handling of the 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally made their relationship "what it is today."
"You did say at one point that he had compromised his moral authority over the handling of the Charlottesville rally," "Fox & Friends" host Ainsley Earhardt asked Scott Thursday in an exclusive interview.
"I will say that it was the Charlottesville incident that made our relationship what it is today," he responded.
"He invited me to the Oval Office to talk about race relations in America. He wanted me to share with them my perspective. He listened, and after we finished talking he said, ‘Help me help those I have offended.’ That's how Opportunity Zones was born… so I'm very thankful that in one of the hardest moments in recent history, President Trump invited me in so we could find solutions together."
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Scott sat with Fox News alongside his fiancée, Mindy, to discuss the possibility of becoming vice president, how the pair handle public scrutiny and their "heaven-sent" love story.
Earhardt noted that, if chosen, Scott would become the first Black Republican vice president to make it on the ticket.
"I think it's exciting no matter the outcome," he said. "It's the evolution of the Southern heart that we see on display, and we Southerners get so little credit for the progress we've made. The whole notion of judging a person on the content of their character, not the color of their skin, has happened."
"It's not going to happen. It's not around the corner. It's in the rearview mirror," he continued. "We are living Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream."
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Scott and Mindy were engaged earlier this year after church friends tried to set them up on a pickleball date. The pair plan to wed in August.
"Going down to my knee, I just felt this wave of emotion hit me like… a ton of bricks, and I was like, ‘I really want to spend the rest of my life with this woman.’ And what a blessing," Scott said.
Mindy, who is an interior designer in South Carolina, grew up in a military family with a father who was in the Navy and brothers who went to military school. Scott touted her "devotion" to both her faith and the country.
"How do you help prepare him for politics?" Earhardt asked her.
"I'm a good listener. I do pride myself on that, and I'll pray. I'll do a lot of praying. I think being a prayer warrior for him, supporting him, being a listener, and just loving on him, I think that's my role," Mindy responded.
Trump could announce his vice presidential pick as early as this week, much earlier than previously expected, as he prepares to face off against President Biden in the CNN Presidential Debate in Atlanta on Thursday.
Scott is reportedly on his shortlist alongside Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Earhardt asked Scott how "badly" he wants to be Trump's vice president.
"I desperately want to fulfill the mission the good Lord has given me, and whatever the position is, that helps me get that done on behalf of the American people, I want to do that every single day," he responded.
Tune in to "Fox & Friends" at 6 a.m. ET on Friday for an interview with Gov. Doug Burgum, R-N.D., and his wife, Kathryn, as part of the series featuring potential Trump VP picks.