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Donald Trump said he is open to having Scott Walker be on his ticket, should Trump win the nomination. Walker has endorsed Ted Cruz. | AP Photo Trump would consider Walker, Rubio, Kasich as VP

Just a couple weeks ago, Donald Trump was hitting Scott Walker on everything from his governorship to his penchant for riding motorcycles on the campaign trail, but in an interview published Monday, the Manhattan billionaire said he could see putting the Wisconsin governor on his ticket.

“I like Walker actually in a lot of ways. I hit him very hard. ... But I’ve always liked him. There are people I like, but I don’t think they like me because I have hit them hard,” Trump said in an interview with USA TODAY op-ed writer Kirsten Powers. Walker endorsed Ted Cruz of Wisconsin's April primary, and helped the Texas senator win the state by double digits.

Speaking to reporters in Madison, Walker said he "laughed" when he heard Trump float his name.

"I literally just heard it in the car and I said — I laughed — it's kind of interesting to hear that after the things that were said about me a couple weeks ago," he said. "But I'm focused on being the governor of the state of Wisconsin.... That's not even on my radar and it certainly wouldn't be with — I guess I was shocked more than anything to hear that."

"I can't even fathom that," Walker continued. "Like I said, it's almost breathtaking that I was listed in the first place."

Asked if he would serve as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's running mate, Walker said the idea was "so far off."

"I think if you've got a contested convention, I don't know that anyone's going to get the pick. The delegates may pick the vice presidential running mate," he said.

Trump also said he would consider Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who dropped out after losing his home state on March 15, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is still in the race despite winning just one state — his own — thus far.

“He made a mistake,” Trump said of Rubio, who nose-dived in the polls after mocking his rival's hands and other body parts. “He became Don Rickles for about four days, and then I became worse than Don Rickles.”