Two of the top candidates under consideration to be Donald Trump’s running mate said Wednesday that they have told the real estate mogul they're not interested in the job.
Just one day after appearing on the campaign trail with Donald Trump, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker withdrew his name from consideration to be the Republican's VP pick.
"I've always thought that I'm better suited for other kinds of things and I think most people who know me agree with that," Corker told NBC News in an interview, adding that Trump and his family are "most impressive."
Shortly after news of Corker's decision broke, POLITICO reported that Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst - who met with Trump on Monday - told the presumptive GOP nominee that she's "focused on Iowa," all but taking her name out of consideration.
Sources confirmed to NBC News that Ernst does not see herself as a potential running mate on the GOP ticket and that she conveyed those wishes to Trump earlier this week.
However, Ernst, a swing-state senator who is viewed as a rising star in the party, will enjoy a high-profile speaking slot at the Republican National Convention later this month. And officials close to Ernst’s decision-making process said she wants to remain helpful to the GOP ticket.
Corker, who chairs the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee and had a lucrative career in the private sector before running for elected office, was viewed as a pick who could have assuaged concerns about Trump's inexperience with foreign affairs and domestic policymaking. NBC News reported Tuesday night that Corker had submitted vetting materials to the Trump campaign as part of his formal consideration for the role.
Corker spent Tuesday on a day-long job interview with Trump's campaign, traveling with the candidate on his aircraft and meeting with aides before appearing alongside the real estate mogul at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.
But that public appearance seemed somewhat awkward, as the Tennessee senator quipped to the crowd that "the rallies that I have back home aren’t quite like this."
Still, sources involved with the decision say the two men remain "on very good terms."
“The caricature that is painted of Donald Trump is so different than what he is,” Corker told NBC News.
