MANCHESTER -- Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, a key surrogate who endorsed Donald Trump earlier this year, unexpectedly attended Trump’s foreign policy speech in Manchester on Monday after reports last week that he was unsettled by the tenor of the campaign.
“I wouldn’t be here supporting if I didn’t feel comfortable,” Brown said after the presumptive Republican nominee spoke.
Brown, who sat in the front row during the remarks, lauded Trump’s speech and the campaign.
“I’m pleased in the direction of the campaign,” Brown said. “They’re focusing on things that people care about – the economy, and, obviously, terrorism.”
Asked about potentially joining Trump’s ticket as his VP nominee, Brown didn’t reject the idea: “I’m not asking nor am I looking for anything. My satisfaction will be making sure we have a Republican in the White House, and that we retain the Senate and the House – that’s my goal.”
Brown represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate before losing his re-election bid in 2012 to Elizabeth Warren. He then moved to the neighboring state of New Hampshire, where he ran and lost an attempt to head back to the U.S. Senate.
Brown brushed aside reports that he aired grievances last week about Trump’s remarks on Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s “Mexican heritage.”
“I’m not going to speak about what I say and do and the guidance I give or suggestions I may give,” Brown said on Monday.
When asked by NBC's Katy Tur to directly respond to Trump’s comments on Curiel, Brown concluded the media gaggle and walked away – though noted briefly moments earlier: “Yeah, listen, I think we’ve moved on from that.”
Brown also refused to directly answer Tur’s questions about whether he personally believed President Obama sympathizes with terrorists – as Trump seemingly suggested in interviews on Monday morning.
“Listen, you’re going to have to listen to the Trump campaign on what his positions are,” Brown responded.
