LePage waves off rumors of administration job

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) on Tuesday dismissed speculation that he is gunning for a job in the Trump administration, calling the rumors “wishful thinking.”

LePage’s extended trip to Washington, where he sat on a panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference late last month and attended the Governors Ball at the White House, provoked speculation he would soon be working for President Trump, whom LePage stumped for during the election.

“A few days in Florida, a few days in Washington, and then on the way back, I came back to Washington for a conference and then met my wife in Virginia and we drove back,” LePage said during an interview on WVOM radio in Maine.

{mosads}Asked about the rumors that he was being considered for a position in Washington, LePage waved off such talk as “wishful thinking on the part of my adversaries.”

LePage, who is a Republican, has often been noted for making controversial and bombastic statements, and has called himself the “Donald Trump before Donald Trump.”

During Trump’s 2016 campaign, LePage was an outspoken supporter of the real estate mogul and appeared alongside him at several campaign rallies in Maine. He also expressed interest in taking a job in the administration in May, before Trump had officially taken the GOP presidential nomination.