Trump says Rubio, Kasich, others are possible cabinet material
Donald Trump says his campaign is about to head in a more congenial direction - and he might even name some of his rivals to his cabinet.
“Yes. I like Marco Rubio. Yeah. I could,” Trump told USA TODAY about a possible spot in his administration. “There are people I have in mind in terms of vice president. I just haven’t told anybody names. ... I do like Marco. I do like (John) Kasich. … I like (Scott) Walker actually in a lot of ways. I hit him very hard. ... But I’ve always liked him. There are people I like, but I don’t think they like me because I have hit them hard.”
With his campaign for the presidency in full swing, Trump said that he is open to forging new alliances. In a sit-down interview in New York with USA TODAY's Kirsten Powers, Trump said his previous battles with Rubio and other GOP rivals were part of "the crazy business" of politics. Several, he says, have reached out to make political peace with him.
"People you see excoriating me on TV ... are calling my office wanting to get on the team," Trump said. "I actually asked a couple of them, ‘How can you do this after what you said?’ And they said, ‘No problem.’ ”
Rubio and Trump engaged in some of the snarkiest back-and-forth this campaign season. But Trump says he is willing to let it slide.
“He made a mistake,” Trump said of Rubio. “He became Don Rickles for about four days, and then I became worse than Don Rickles.”
Trump's vociferous style is hitting the headlines on many fronts and he has shown he is not adverse to calling out those who he disagrees with. Also Monday, he told Fox News that CIA Director John Brennan's pledge not to allow waterboarding torture is “ridiculous.” His comments echo his Feb. 15 USA TODAY editorial in which he spelled out his mission to use "enhanced interrogation techniques" against terrorists.
Brennan has said he would not allow enhanced interrogation tactics, including waterboarding, even if a future president ordered it.
In his editorial, Trump said he would "do whatever it takes" to protect the American people in the face of terrorism.
"The enemy is cutting off the heads of Christians and drowning them in cages, and yet we are too politically correct to respond in kind," Trump wrote. "The people of the United States expect their president to make such decisions, and I will not disappoint them. I will do whatever it takes to protect and defend this nation and its people."