Trump praises Mike Lee's haircut in comments on vice presidential prospects

Former President Trump praised Sen. Mike Lee for his haircut in an audio recording Axios obtained of Trump reflecting on prospective running mates.

The big picture: The former president's most prominent surrogates went to his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday to audition for vice president .

• Trump provided some real-time reviews of the prospects at a private luncheon where his remarks were recorded.

What he's saying: "I love your haircut! … And he's a good man too."

Context: Lee was one of several lawmakers who attended the Florida fundraiser this weekend.

• Lee hasn't gotten a lot of buzz as a potential running mate, but he's a longtime ally of Trump who joined efforts to overturn the 2020 election .
• He cropped his hair in September , around the same time he was threatening to defund the military over abortion policy and calling down God's wrath upon flood-trapped Burning Man revelers.

Zoom out: Here's what Trump had to say about the other potential candidates.

• Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — "His name is coming up a lot for vice president!"
• Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — "As a candidate he did a good job, but as a surrogate he's unbelievable."
• Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) — "He wasn't a supporter of mine at the very beginning... He was saying things like 'the guy's a total disaster'…any ways I got to know him a little bit... As a non politician, he's become one of the great senators."
• Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) — "[When she ran in 2018] she was like the energizer bunny. She would go from stop to stop to stop."
• North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — "I didn't know this: He was a supporter of my two campaigns. He's a very rich man."
• South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — "Somebody that I love. She's been with me, a supporter of mine and I've been a supporter of hers for a long time. "

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