Payam Javan: President Donald Trump dismissed his Republican rivals for the 2024 nomination in a speech to autoworkers in Michigan on Sept. 27, suggesting that he sees none of them as potential running mates.

Trump referred to his rivals as “the job candidates,” saying that they were only running as an audition for a cabinet position with him. He delivered the speech in lieu of attending the second Republican presidential debate, attended by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vice President Mike Pence, and other notable candidates.

While Trump focused his remarks on distinguishing his own automobile manufacturing policies from those of President Joe Biden, he also suggested in an aside that he was not considering his rivals for the nomination as running mates or potential cabinet officers.