No hard feelings: Trump says ex-rivals could get cabinet invite

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump says some of his former White House rivals could make his short list for key government posts, despite a bitter campaign that has included name-calling and personal attacks.

In an interview published late Monday, Trump said he is mulling his options for his cabinet, even though he remains in a nip-and-tuck race for the nomination with Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who has been steadily closing the gap in the number of delegates.

Despite the sometimes bitter tone of the campaign, the real estate mogul said he even could consider naming Marco Rubio whom he belittled during the campaign as "Little Marco" to a post in his administration.

"Yes. I like Marco Rubio," Trump told USA Today, when asked whether he could consider the Florida senator for a position. "Yeah. I could."

"There are people I have in mind in terms of vice president. I just haven't told anybody names," Trump continued.

"I do like Marco. I do like (John) Kasich," Trump said, referring to the Ohio governor the third remaining contender for the Republican presidential nod.

"I like (Scott) Walker actually in a lot of ways," Trump added, referring to the governor of Wisconsin, who dropped out early in the race. "I hit him very hard, but I've always liked him."

Trump told USA Today that the nasty battles he waged with Rubio and the other Republicans seeking America's highest political office were simply part of "the crazy business" of politics.

Some of his former fellow political combatants have reached out to him since dropping out of the race to reconcile, he said.

"People you see excoriating me on TV are calling my office wanting to get on the team. I actually asked a couple of them, 'How can you do this after what you said?' And they said, 'No problem'," Trump said.