Twitter Users Mock Sen. Rick Scott's Potential Presidential Run
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Although Florida Sen. Rick Scott may join the already crowded list of Republicans running for the White House, he’s not getting much support on Twitter.
On Thursday, The New York Times reported that the senator is considering whether to throw his hat in the ring. That would make him the fourth Republican candidate from Florida in the race, after former President Donald Trump, current Gov. Ron DeSantis and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
However, Scott denied he was mulling a run to HuffPost political reporter Igor Bobic, saying that “I’ve been clear, I’m running for the Senate.” Still, if Scott does declare his candidacy, he wouldn’t be the first politician to say one thing and then do another.
In addition to his fellow Floridians, Scott would be competing against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Texas congressman Will Hurd, who officially joined the race Thursday.
But it seems like the only people excited about a potential Scott run are those who don’t actually want him to win.
That’s because Scott’s record is chock-full of things that are largely unappealing to voters, like his proposals to “sunset” popular benefit programs like Medicare and Social Security, or to raise taxes on poor Americans so they’d have some “skin in the game.”
Critics could also seek to undermine Scott’s run by pointing to his time as CEO of the company Columbia/HCA, which paid over $840 million in criminal fines and damages over unlawful billing practices in 2000 and $881 million for a separate fine in 2002. Scott reportedly took the Fifth 75 separate times during a deposition linked to the company.
Considering that track record, it’s no surprise that Twitter users had thoughts, with some saying that The New York Times failed to mention the accusations of health care fraud that his company faced.
Any article regarding a possible Rick Scott presidential run should start by mentioning he was forced to resign as executive of a company that committed the largest case of Medicare fraud in U.S. history.https://t.co/ADGiBXcx7l
— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) June 22, 2023
Others just got ... personal.
Rick Scott enters the 2024 GOP fiesta. pic.twitter.com/piGNCMhosp
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 22, 2023
A few people welcomed him into the race for very selfish reasons.
joe biden, hearing rick scott wants to run for president: pic.twitter.com/j8KLa528aw
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) June 22, 2023
We would gladly welcome Rick Scott into the primary and encourage him to continue discussing his plan to threaten Social Security and Medicare that he shares with other 2024 Republican candidates, including Donald Trump who proposed cuts every single year. https://t.co/dG7ZtKn5uJ
— Ammar Moussa (@ammarmufasa) June 22, 2023
And a number of users just felt pain for those who might have to suffer through a Scott presidential campaign.
I wish Rick Scott on nobody but DeSantis. https://t.co/7nFWY0zcYv
— Kevin Cate (@KevinCate) June 22, 2023
But one person saw the possible run as a pathway to freedom — for Scott, anyway.
This only makes sense if Rick Scott is looking for a way to leave the Senate, without appearing to do so with his tail between his legs. https://t.co/yiyPVFfrBy
— Tho Bishop (@ThoBishop) June 22, 2023