The former Republican presidential nominee was asked by reporters how he felt about the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who chairs it, “bestowing” an award on Trump. “Not my call. They’re certainly free to do whatever they’d like to do. As you know, having voted twice to remove him from office, that would not have been my preference,” he said. The NRSC presented the inaugural Champion for Freedom Award to Trump over the weekend during a donor retreat. In a statement, the committee described the honor as intended for “conservative leaders who have worked tirelessly to create good jobs, protect the values that make our country great, and stop the Democrats’ socialist agenda.”