A.G. Gancarski
In St. Augustine for his monthly jobs numbers presser, Florida Gov. Rick Scott took questions about his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump and discussed the 2018 political landscape.
Scott said he had a “great meeting yesterday with President-elect Trump” lasting roughly 45 minutes.
When asked if he might be part of one of Trump’s “landing teams,” designed to help with the transition on a departmental level, Scott was not especially specific.
“I’ll do everything I can to help him be successful. I’m going to help him repeal Obamacare. We’ve got to replace it with something that will be better for Americans. We’ve got to reduce our costs. We’ve got to have better access to health care,” Scott said.
“I’ll work with him with Republican governors. We’ve got 32 Republican governors with great ideas. I’ll be a liaison with Republican governors,” Scott added.
“On top of that,” Scott continued, “we have to redesign government. Government’s got to work better at the federal level. We’ve done it in our state by cutting regulations and reducing taxes. We have to think about what’s better for our citizens.”
“I told Donald Trump I’ll do anything I can to help him. Whatever he wants me to do, I’ll do,” Scott continued.
Althought that apparently doesn’t include accepting an official role with the administration.
“He’s got a lot of energy,” Scott added. “When I sat down with him yesterday, he was excited about the job. He wants to get things done … bring change to Washington D.C. He’s going to make it happen.”
When asked to elaborate on a statement Scott made earlier this week, regarding running for Senate as an “option” in 2018, Scott stuck to his talking points, saying he was focused on the job that he’s doing at the moment.
Scott likewise was noncommittal when asked to review potential successors of his in the governor’s office, a list that includes names such as Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam and — according to some Jacksonville locals who are not part of the mayor’s political operation — Lenny Curry.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of people who are running for governor. It’s a great job. If you care about people,” Scott said, “it’s the best job you can imagine.”
“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of good people running. Lenny Curry’s doing a great job as mayor of Jacksonville. You’re starting to see significant job growth here,” Scott added.
