Ex-Republican lawmaker: Vance 'completely unqualified' to be VP

Former Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.), who left the Republican Party and become a critic of Donald Trump, says first-term Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) is “completely unqualified” to be the former president’s running mate.

Jolly joined MSNBC on Friday to discuss the long-awaited announcement of whom Trump is going to choose to share the GOP ticket in November. Among the top candidates are Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.).

“Look, I think Rubio and Burgum are two very safe picks and I think they both check the governing and experience box,” Jolly said, later adding, “I think JD Vance is completely unqualified.”

“As a country, we should want somebody qualified to serve,” he continued. “And I think Rubio, Burgum, whatever you think of their ideology, check that box.”

In a recent interview, Vance said he is “very interested” in the role of being Trump’s vice president but expects to still be in the Senate “in a few years.”

“I like being a senator. I’m not trying to leave the United States Senate. It’s an honor to serve the people of Ohio, and frankly, if you asked me, that’s where I expect to be in six months,” he said.

Vance was previously an critic of Trump but has since shifted his tune to support the former president. He was elected to the Senate in 2022.

After the first presidential debate, Rubio, Burgum and Vance supported Trump and praised his performance against President Biden’s lackluster one.

Rubio said he’s not the vice presidential candidate, and that “no one is right now.”

Jolly, who represented Florida's 13th District in the House from 2014-17, said he thinks Rubio has “put in his time” and, as a Cuban American, can help bring Trump a new voter demographic.

Jolly argued the country won’t have enough time to get to know Burgum before the election, but the governor may be someone who will “stay in the shadows of Donald Trump," which could appeal to the former president.

Trump says he has already made his pick and will announce his running mate at the Republican National Convention, which begins July 15.

The former president is also set to hold a rally Wednesday in Doral, Fla., just outside of Rubio’s home city of Miami. If Trump were to choose Rubio, however, their same-state residency may cause some complications.

“Look, the convention’s the week after next. Trump has to make a decision soon,” Jolly said. “Maybe it’s Wednesday. We don’t know.”