Gov. Rick Scott: Voters have spoken, they're picking Trump

Florida lawmaker talks possible contested convention on 'Your World'

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," March 17, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Enter Florida Governor Rick Scott of course coming out today in support of Donald Trump, while taking note as well of some of those comments, some said lectures, by Paul Ryan. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN, R-WIS., SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Nobody should say such things, in my opinion, because to even address or hint to violence is unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: Do you think then the way Donald Trump has talked about the risk of violence, he has never, you're quite right, never recommended or espoused or espoused violence at events, but that he hints of it, and that these guys are saying, you have got to police that kind of language. Do you agree?

GOV. RICK SCOTT, R, FLORIDA: In my races, I have had protesters, I have had hecklers. Everybody deals with it differently.

And Donald deals with it differently than I probably would deal with it.

CAVUTO: So, you don't agree with the way Donald deals with it?

SCOTT: I mean, he deals with it -- everybody deals with it differently. And every event is a little bit different, Neil.

They're never the same. But what my point is, the voters have spoken. They are picking him. We need to listen to the voters. And now we need to coalesce, so we get a new president.

CAVUTO: But what if they stop picking him? What if in future states, Governor -- do you think what you have risked here is, those who vote in future states -- because Ted Cruz has a mathematical route to get this. It's very tough, you're quite right, in the case of Kasich.

But you're ruling it out, when that was the one thing you had argued before the Florida primary you didn't want to do. But now you are ruling it out for them because he looks inevitable. I could play the math and say, well, he might be. But he is a long way from being there.

SCOTT: He -- Neil, he is either going to have a majority or he's going to get pretty close. Think about it. This is election time, where the citizens don't trust the politicians, and...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: I know that. But what is pretty close to you, pretty close to you?

He has argued that, if he has a big enough lead -- and he is close enough -- he should get the nomination. There are little rules that say half the available delegates plus one, which is 1,237. If he is at 1,100, is Governor Rick Scott of Florida saying, it's his nomination?

SCOTT: He is going to be so -- he is going to -- the odds are, he is going to be so far ahead that if the party leaders decide to go a different direction, then they are going to lose the support of the people that...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Well, no, no, but if he gets to the first ballot, Governor, and he doesn't have 1,237, yes, he might have a lead, but he didn't get it on the first ballot. Right? So, no one is taking anything from him.

SCOTT: I believe it would be a mistake, Neil. I think it would be a big mistake, when you look at the voters that are coming in to vote for Donald Trump that are active now in the Republican Party that weren't active before.

If he goes to the convention with being very close to having all of the delegate he needs and doesn't get it, I think it will be very difficult. I think we need to start thinking about...

CAVUTO: But it's happened before, right, Governor? No, it's happened before. I'm just saying, we -- I don't know how it will end up. I'm saying there is this thing where you have to get to 1,237 delegates.

You seem to be saying that there will be hell to pay if he doesn't get the nomination when he doesn't have the 1,237 delegates. Those are the rules. Everyone understood it's 1,237. You seem to be saying, if he doesn't get them on the first ballot, he should still be the nominee?

SCOTT: I think that, if he is where we all believe he is going to be, and if we don't coalesce behind him, then we're going to have a very difficult time winning in November. My point is, we need to win in November.

CAVUTO: I'm sorry, sir. That's not what I asked. That's not what I asked.

If doesn't get the 1,237 on the first ballot, he is not the nominee. Technically, he's not. Now, he might get it on a second ballot. He might get it on a third ballot.

SCOTT: Absolutely. We have got to go through...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Go ahead.

SCOTT: Neil, I agree with you.

He -- I would hope that has the 50 percent. But if he is close, he needs to be our nominee, because we have got to start coalescing this party.

(CROSSTALK)

SCOTT: ... win in November.

CAVUTO: But close is no cigar. Governor, this is an important distinction. I'm worried because I just wanted to be fair to everybody, as I'm sure you do.

There have been many candidates who have entered convention with delegate leads. Lyndon Johnson had far more delegates committed to him than John F. Kennedy, even with John F. Kennedy's winning so money primaries. It was a case where party bosses kind of dominated the scene.

Now, we all know what happened then. All I'm saying is, are you shifting the rules a bit that if Donald Trump has a big enough lead, but not quite the majority, it should still be given to him? Shouldn't we go through the motions of ballots and see if he gets the 1,237? Great, he's off to the races. Are you saying that's not the case?

SCOTT: Well, clearly, at the convention, the rules will be followed.

My belief is, if he is close to the 50 percent -- clearly, if he's there, it's fine -- but if he's close to the 50 percent and he doesn't get the nomination, we will have a very difficult time winning in November. That's why I believe we ought to coalesce behind him now, do everything we can to have a president.

CAVUTO: So, why do we have ballots at all? Governor, why do we have ballots at all, then? Close is not a done deal. You seem to be advocating, if he is close, if he doesn't get it, that's not fair.

Well, if he is close and he doesn't get it, that's the way the cookie crumbles. Right?

SCOTT: It's absolutely what the rules are. The rules should be followed.

My belief is, if he is that far ahead and he is close, if we don't choose Donald Trump, then we will have a very difficult time winning in November. The most important thing to me is making sure we have a president that wins, that helps with jobs, the Second Amendment, getting the right justices, to make sure we change the direction of this country.

I need a federal partner that is going to help me in Florida.

CAVUTO: All right, real quickly -- and you have been very patient -- that would be like saying your opponent, when he was ahead in the polls by 10 points with only weeks to go to the election, give it to him, because he had a big lead.

If we had stopped it there, we would have a very different governor of Florida. We didn't do that. There was process called Election Day. There's a process at the convention called a first ballot, then, if necessary, a second ballot, then, if necessary, a third and on and on.

By that token, by that token, Abraham Lincoln in 1860 would have never gotten a chance to be president because another guy had a bigger lead in delegates. Abraham Lincoln has a follow-up lead in future ballots. Abraham Lincoln, by -- Governor, you're saying would never happen.

SCOTT: Well, it's totally different to having polls and having votes.

We have had a very contested primary with a lot of great candidates, some good friends of mine, lot of governors that I have worked with. We have had Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush from Florida. We have had a very contested primary. If we want to win in November...

CAVUTO: But that's not what I'm saying. Others have had delegate leads, in 1860. I mention that one just as an example for party, where others had big delegate leads.

And this guy, Lincoln, was nowhere in that bunch. And then they all kind of eventually settled on him as a consensus figure. Now, I'm not saying that is going to happen, but what stopped the guy who led from happening is, he didn't get to the required delegates.

There's a reason why they're required, half the convention delegates, plus one.

SCOTT: Neil, my belief -- my belief is, Donald Trump has shown that he has brought so many new people into the party. He is winning. He's way ahead in the delegate count. He's going to be way ahead at the convention.

It's going to be a big mistake if we want to win in November.

CAVUTO: All right.

SCOTT: I want a new -- I want a president that is going to -- a nominee that's going to win.

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