Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.

Donald Trump says he's open to naming some of his 2016 rivals to his presidential cabinet, claiming that several of his fellow GOP presidential contenders have extended olive branches to him since dropping out of the race.

Marco Rubio and Donald Trump at a debate sponsored by CNN on Feb. 25. MIKE STONE / Reuters

Asked in an interview with USA Today if he might give Florida Sen. Marco Rubio a spot in his administration, Trump replied "Yeah. I could."

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings. This site is protected by recaptcha

The GOP frontrunner namechecked former candidates Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker -- as well as Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is still in the race -- as 2016 hopefuls that he "likes," even though he acknowledged that not all of his fellow Republican candidates return the love.

"There are people I like, but I don’t think they like me because I have hit them hard," he said.

And he appeared to mention the job of his second-in-command as one that he could consider filling with a former competitor. "There are people I have in mind in terms of vice president. I just haven’t told anybody names," he said.

Kasich shot down the notion of serving on Trump's ticket Tuesday morning when asked about Trump's comments on CBS, saying there's "zero chance" that he would run with the real estate mogul.

Trump told USA Today that several of his most bitter public foes within the GOP have privately reached out to him behind the scenes.

"People you see excoriating me on TV ... are calling my office wanting to get on the team," he said.