“SC Sen. Tim Scott Sends Strong Message: He Won’t Join a Trump Administration—Find Out What He’s Really Aiming For!”

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott downplayed interest in joining a potential second Trump administration, saying he’d rather helm the Senate Banking Committee if Republicans win back the majority this fall.

The junior GOP senator from South Carolina made the distinction Sept. 24 during a public interview at a Punchbowl News event in Washington, D.C.

“If Trump wins, I still think that I’m probably better off serving the people of our country as chairman of the Banking Committee as opposed to going into the administration,” Scott said, adding, “We’ll see what happens, obviously.”

With his comments, Scott emphasized his commitment to legislative power in his own third term and distanced himself from whispers about a cabinet position — and the political scramble it would set off back in his home state of South Carolina if he suddenly left office.

He has already said this would be his final term in Washington. As the highest-ranking elected Black Republican in the country and a fiercely loyal Trump ally and surrogate, Scott has long been considered a potential cabinet pick as Donald Trump seeks a return to the White House. 

When Scott mounted a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Trump was careful not to criticize the senator.

Scott also gave Trump one of his biggest endorsements in the GOP primary race, when he endorsed the former president over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

A rising Republican star in his own right, the 59-year-old was floated as a possible running mate before Trump landed on Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

Scott appeared to brush away any future role in the Trump administration during the event.

“We’ll see what happens, obviously. But in the end, my hope is that I have a chance to cast a vision about what’s possible in this nation economically and do what was done for me, which was create opportunities that led to real transformation in the community,” Scott said.

The committee is currently chaired by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

Scott predicted Republicans were “in a very positive position” to win back control of the Senate in November, as he ticked through a list of battleground races from West Virginia to Montana.

“We win two out the five or six, we get back the majority. I become chairman of the banking committee,” Scott said.

Scott’s next political moves are unclear. He has said that his 2022 Senate reelection would be his last.

He has been frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for South Carolina governor, which is next up in 2026.

Gov. Henry McMaster, a Trump backer, is term-limited, and the GOP primary is expected to be heated.

When Jake Sherman, one of the moderators, joked that they’d have a better chance of booking him for future events if he remains in the Senate, Scott turned to the audience and said, “I want to do everything I can to support small businesses. That’s why I’m here.”