Rubio: ‘I do not want to be considered for vice president’

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is out as a vice presidential candidate for Donald Trump.

In a statement on Facebook Monday, Rubio said his issues with the presumptive Republican nominee’s campaign remained. The Florida senator suspended his own bid for the White House in March.

“While Republican voters have chosen Donald Trump as the presumptive GOP nominee, my previously stated reservations about his campaign and concerns with many of his policies remain unchanged,” Rubio wrote. “He will be best served by a running mate and by surrogates who fully embrace his campaign. As such, I have never sought, will not seek and do not want to be considered for Vice President.”

Rubio said he’d instead focus attention on his duties in the Senate representing the people of Florida and “retaining a conservative majority in the Senate and electing principled conservatives across the country.”

Trump has indicated his vice presidential candidate could come from the wide field of politicians he defeated to emerge as the presumptive nominee well ahead of July’s Republican National Convention. The candidate said he’s likely to name his running mate there.

Although the two disagreed plenty on the campaign trail, Trump last week indicated it was possible the Florida senator was being considered for vice president.

“Marco’s a good guy, a really nice guy and I like him,” Trump said. “But not necessarily with respect to any position, but it could happen.”

Former candidates Ben Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich have also said publicly they are not interested in being Trump’s number two.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Rubio: ‘I do not want to be considered for vice president’."