RALEIGH, NC - JULY 5: Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stands next to Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) during a campaign event at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on July 5, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Earlier in the day Hillary Clinton campaigned in Charlotte, North Carolina with President Barack Obama. (Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

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By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bob Corker removed himself from consideration as Donald Trump's running mate Wednesday but said he would be open to serving in Trump's administration should the presumptive GOP nominee win the presidency.

Corker, a Tennessee Republican who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he informed Trump and his campaign team during a series of meetings Tuesday that he was taking himself out of the running for vice president.

"I feel like there are people better suited for that role, and I'm better suited for other kinds of roles," Corker said in an interview.

"When it comes to being a vice president, it's a highly, highly political role," Corker said. "I view myself as sort of a policy person."

Corker, 63, said his decision to withdraw from consideration as vice president opened up "a candid conversation" with Trump and his team about policy and other roles he might play. He would not say whether they discussed the possibility of him serving as secretary of state.

Asked if he would consider working in a Trump administration, Corker said he shares the same philosophy of public service as Howard Baker Jr., a former Tennessee senator who served as President Reagan's last chief of staff and, later, as U.S. ambassador to Japan.

"If the president calls you to serve, certainly it's your responsibility to sit down and strongly consider that," Corker said. "But to try to respond to conjecture (about a specific position) at this point is just not appropriate."

Corker, Tennessee's junior senator and a former Chattanooga mayor, was often mentioned as a possible running mate for Trump, partly because of the foreign policy experience he would bring to the ticket.

Speculation that he might be in the running for No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket started shortly after he told USA TODAY in early May he had offered to help Trump develop a foreign policy platform and stood ready to assist the presumptive nominee in the general election.

Later that month, Corker had a private, hour-long meeting with Trump at Trump Tower in New York City. Corker described the meeting as a chance for the two to get to know each other better and said they talked about foreign policy.

Corker said he agreed to undergo a preliminary vetting for the vice presidency with the understanding he would eventually sit down and talk further with Trump about the job.

That sit-down discussion happened Tuesday, when Corker spent the day with Trump, his family and members of his campaign team at Trump Tower. Corker said he began each of his meetings by saying he didn't think he was suited to be vice president.

Later Tuesday, Corker flew with Trump to a campaign rally in the swing state of North Carolina, where Trump introduced him to the cheering crowd as "a great friend of mine, somebody respected by everybody."

Corker said his day with Trump, his family and work associates gave him a better appreciation of the billionaire real-estate mogul.

"To see the relationship between Mr. Trump and the people that worked there, from the most senior levels to the most junior, and the respect they have for him and vice versa, he's a gentleman," Corker said. "He's very considerate."

Corker said he doesn't yet know if he will be making other campaign appearances with Trump.

"We'll see," he said. "I've got a job to do here. I've got things to do back home. But I will say yesterday was a very enjoyable day, and it certainly was a privilege to be in the position to see the internal workings of the campaign, but also to witness Trump in person and see what has been happening and to see (the crowd's) response."

Corker said he has been offered a speaking role at the Republican National Convention that begins July 18 in Cleveland, but that details still are being worked out.

Trump is expected to pick his running mate before the convention. Others in the running for the job include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.