Donald Trump could get a big boost to his campaign fundraising if he decides to put aside past grievances and choose “little Marco” Rubio as his vice presidential running mate.
Billionaire Ken Griffin is a longtime supporter of Rubio and has indicated he might stay away if Trump, whom he has criticized in the past, chooses the Florida senator as his running mate.
“If Senator Rubio is the one chosen, I’m sure there will be a lot of donors, including Ken Griffin, allegedly,” Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski told DailyMail.com.
“I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s what they say. If Marco is on the list, maybe Ken will be off the pitch,” he said.
Griffin is one of the most successful hedge fund investors of all time, and his Citadel Capital is packed with holdings in “Magnificent Seven” stocks like Nvidia and Amazon, bringing his net worth to $37 billion.
In 2022, Griffin called for the party to “move on” from Trump, a “three-time loser.”
Florida Senator Marco Rubio is on Donald Trump’s list of potential running mates. He has a network of supporters in Florida who could help Trump in his television war against Joe Biden and the Democrats.
In May, he tied his potential support for Trump to the choice of his running mate: “I’m going to wait and see who he picks as his vice presidential nominee,” he told Bloomberg.
But she hasn’t ruled out endorsing him as Trump’s team reaches out to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and tries to unify the party following President Joe Biden’s debate stumble. Griffin also appeared at a fundraiser with Sen. Tim Scott, another vice presidential candidate.
A source told DailyMail.com that “nothing has changed since Ken last made public comments about this in mid-May,” an indication that he is not about to give up his influence.
Rubio and his wife Jeanette Christina Dousdebes Rubio were scheduled to attend Trump’s rally in Doral, Florida, on Tuesday, in the latest sign of their bond.
The billionaire’s blessing is just one reason Trump might consider appointing Rubio, a telegenic lawmaker who knows the Sunday talk show circuit and is immersed in foreign policy issues that could be flashpoints in a vice presidential debate against Kamala Harris.
Rubio raised $52 million for his failed 2016 campaign, but outside groups contributed another $220 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Policies.
Rubio, 53, is decades younger than Trump, 78, and could reassure parts of the establishment with his support for Ukraine and more traditional views on American alliances.
Trump ridiculed Rubio mercilessly during the 2016 campaign, and Rubio eventually hit back.
Billionaire Ken Griffin, chief executive of Citidel, has stayed on the sidelines, but could start writing big checks if Trump chooses Rubio.
Rubio memorably attacked Trump in 2016, calling him a “con man” and trying to annoy him by mocking the size of his hands, in a sort of response to Trump’s “Little Marco” nickname.
He mockingly said Trump had a “fake tan” and would “make Americans turn orange,” then asked: “Have you seen the size of his hands?”
But Rubio has emerged as a loyal supporter in the Senate, even as fellow establishment Republicans like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) have condemned him.
He has more experience than South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and other contenders when it comes to waging political battles on the airwaves.
His main competition includes Burgum, whose estimated $100 million wealth allows him to write a check to the campaign and gives him access to the donor class, and Sen. JD Vance, who has been flexing his fundraising chops on the campaign trail.
Vance has the backing of mega-donor Peter Thiel.
With the Republican convention just days away, Rubio still has a legal liability. Like Trump, he resides in Florida, and a provision of the 12th Amendment prevents the president and vice president from residing in the same state, potentially endangering Florida’s electors. The strange wording says that one of the candidates “should not be a resident of the same state as them.”
“I don’t have a definitive answer. I assume that if Senator Rubio is elected and decides to remain a Florida resident, some legal expert will have already looked into the issue,” Lewandowski said. But he does know which Florida resident will not move if the problem persists.
“I don’t think Trump is acting on behalf of anyone. So if anyone is going to act, it’s not going to be the president,” he said.
Party leaders resolved a similar problem in 2000, when George W. Bush added Dick Cheney to the list, designating him as a Wyoming resident.
But Rubio, 53, might be able to hold his own.
“If I were advising Rubio, I would tell him not to change his residency until after the election,” said Bob Jarvis, a constitutional law professor at Nova Southeastern University. NBC Miami.