Marco Rubio passed up for VP role by Donald Trump

The Republican National Convention is underway, and a big piece of first-day news is that Marco Rubio will not be the vice presidential pick, with J.D. Vance of Ohio getting the nod.

Rubio and Donald Trump had spirited battles in 2016, with the former President pillorying “Little Marco” and the Senator cracking on Trump’s “tiny hands.” But the Primary back-and-forth gave way to genuine collaboration and serious consideration for what could have been a move requiring Rubio to leave the Senate and establish residency elsewhere.

Nonetheless, Rubio wasn’t the pick.

The former President said earlier this month that one complication could be the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which blocks electors from voting for a President and Vice President from the same state, a rule that Trump says presents wrinkles.

“You do that, and it makes it more complicated. There are other people that don’t have that complication,” Trump told Brian Kilmeade. “Now, it’s fairly easily fixed, but you have to do something with delegates, or there has to be a resignation, you know, et cetera, et cetera. So it’s not like picking some people where it’s very easy, where there is none of that.”

Trump noted that the 12th Amendment means that if his ticket wants Florida votes in the Electoral College, “two people (from the state) can’t be running on the same ticket.”

Last week in Doral, Rubio had an audition speech of sorts, where he functioned in an attack dog role for the former President.

Rubio suggested that Biden was “a figurehead for a shadow government of leftists that are propping him up,” pointing to purported “people in the shadow government that are protecting and hiding from the American people the condition of our current President.”

Meanwhile, Trump teased the pick in Doral last week to work the crowd.

“I think they probably think I’m going to be announcing that Marco’s going to be Vice President because that’s a lot of press. That’s a lot of press,” Trump said.

Trump offered another aside to Rubio when discussing his “no taxes for tips” proposal, saying, “Marco, you’re going to vote for it, I hope.” He added that he “may or may not be there to vote for it” but promised the Florida Senator would be “involved.”

Just because Rubio isn’t going to be Trump’s running mate, however, doesn’t mean he won’t be in the Cabinet.