Breaking News
RINO Rubio Betrays The GOP
- Marco Rubio has announced a re-election bid on Wednesday for his Senate seat in the battleground state.
- He is being criticized for failing to keep the pledge he made to retire and not seek reelection as he ran for president.
- During his announcement, he was very vocal about his dislike of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
- Rubio promised to oppose Trump on any issue he didn't agree with in the Senate.
In a complete about-face, Sen. Marco Rubio officially announced an 11th-hour reelection bid Wednesday, making him the instant frontrunner in a key battleground state.
In an interview with POLITICO Wednesday, the first-term senator declared he’s ready to take on both Republican and Democratic opponents and even his party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, if he has to.
Rubio said the election – which could decide control of the U.S. Senate — was too important for him to keep his pledge to retire. Or, for that matter, for him to keep quiet if Trump continues to make inflammatory statements or advocates “bad policies.”
“It’s been well-documented that I have significant disagreements with Donald Trump on his failure to articulate policies and many of the things that he has said, especially about women and minorities,” Rubio said in the interview, mentioning Trump’s name unprompted. “And so I’m prepared to be a senator that will encourage him to make the right decisions, but also stand up to the bad decisions and the bad policies if he’s elected president.”
Rubio, who dropped out of the presidential race after Trump thrashed him in Florida’s March 15 primary, didn’t shy away from directly criticizing Trump for drawing attention to the Mexican heritage of an Indiana-born judge who’s presiding over a civil-fraud trial against Trump University.
“All I can tell you is that they’re not comments that I agree with. They went beyond the pale. I think that that judge is fully American whose experience is not unlike mine,” Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said when asked about Trump’s comments concerning the judge.
“I most certainly strongly disagree and I found what he said offensive and I’m glad he stopped saying it,” Rubio added.
Rubio made clear, though, that he believes Hillary Clinton would be worse than Trump: “He’s not running against George Washington.”
The senator’s decision to run for reelection was widely hailed by Washington and Florida GOP elites who see him as their best hope to keep his seat. They had lobbied Rubio for months to reconsider his pledge on the presidential campaign trail to retire in January if he lost his White House bid.
“Every day I've been asking him and talking to him,” said Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).
A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday showed he leads his Democratic opponents, House members Patrick Murphy and Alan Grayson, by 7 and 8 points, respectively.
In discussing Grayson, Rubio singled out a House ethics investigation into a hedge fund he ran and suggested the Orlando congressman was corrupt.
“Alan Grayson, if he were elected, the chances are he would probably be indicted in his first couple years in office,” Rubio said. “He has huge ethical issues.”
As for Murphy, Rubio dismissed him as a spoiled rich kid.
“Patrick Murphy is someone who is not prepared to be U.S. senator considering the magnitude of what we’re facing now,” Rubio said. “He has no significant achievements in his entire life. He has been handed everything, from the moment he was born: his first job, his second job. And now his family and his father want to buy him a Senate seat.”
Both Murphy and Grayson have attacked Rubio for his positions on gay rights, guns and for breaking his pledge not to run for reelection. Before facing either of them, Rubio still has to win his Aug. 30 primary against political newcomer Carlos Beruff, who bashed Rubio as the choice of Washington power brokers.
Rubio hit back in the interview by pointing out that Beruff had backed his 2010 Senate-race opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist, after the then-governor left the GOP.
“He has a right to run. And we’ll have a campaign. I can tell you that in the Florida primary, the only person that supported Charlie Crist after he changed parties was him,” Rubio said. “So he’ll have to answer for that.”
Rubio acknowledges that he has a tough race ahead and he has some explaining to do for changing his mind. The deadline to file for office is Friday.
“I’m aware of the political arguments of this. You’re running for reelection when you said you wouldn’t in the most-unusual national political cycle in modern American history, in the most-competitive state in the country, against a well-funded Democrat and other Republicans saying they’re going to run,” Rubio said.
Asked if he’d run for president in four years, Rubio said “You know what? I’m done. I’m done making statements like that one way or another. I’m coming back to the Senate with full energy because I believe that our next senator has to be someone that, no matter who’s elected president, will encourage them to make the right decisions and stand up to them when they’re making the wrong decisions — even if they’re from your own party.”
By MARC CAPUTO and BURGESS EVERETT, POLITICO.com
24 Comments
We need 2x conservativer Senators from tyhe State of Florida. Mr Rubio has trouble showing up for work and never available to vote when needed. We need to replace both Mr Rubio and Commisar Nelson too!
If my memory serves me right he did not carry Florida. My friend who lives in Florida is and was not impressed by Rubio. She was very happy that he was not given the opportunity for the office of the president.
Just a typical “politician” doing what they do best….LIE..
H. He should get out. Need someone new.
Marco Rubio should be ashamed of him self Donald Trump was nice to him when they had a talk he is another one who wants to start trouble why don’t all the republicans grow up can tell what kind of person he is he does what everyone tells him what to do Flordia is smarter than him go away Rubio GO DONALD GO
He is a traitor for not supporting Trump. He is just another bullshit artist, like the rest of those bastards that will not support Trump, and will give the election to that corrupt, bitch, Hillary. They will be hated forever if that happens.
rinos are every bit as bad as the demoSCUM party members. Would expect nothing less from these dirt bags.
How is keeping this senate seat in Republican hand a betrayal? Rubio has a right to run,he has a right to a different position and to disagree with Trump. I am a Trump supporter and don’t agree with him on everything. Having a different position on some things is a good thing. If some democrats didn’t disagree with Obama this mess would be much much worse. Keeping this seat in Republican hands by someone who may disagree with Trump on some issues is much better than having a democrat hold it who would disagree and fight him on everything. So, running to keep it a Republican seat a betrayal? I don’t think so
Rubio is a loser and he said he was going to retire and he should. He should also back Trump instead of making threats against him.
He’s a Rino.. He betrayed the party way back with the Gangbang of 8 . We can’t just sweep that under the rug and let bi-gones be bi-gones! We need conservatives not wolves in sheep’s clothing!
I’m sick and tired of all the RINO’s that are so strong in opposing Trump. Instead they should be attacking clinton for the pathetic candidate she is…. Her character and previous actions hardly qualifies her for anything, much less a Presidential candidate.
By his actions he is giving his vote to Hillary
Rubio should stick with his original statement and then support Trump.
Shows who he is. Every time he opens his mouth he acts like a liberal and lies. So we shouldn’t trust him in the Senate any more. We already have enough Rhino’s that hopefully will get voted out.
Rubio is a big-government, internationalist Progressive who is not worthy of serving in the U.S. Senate. His neo-con voting profile has exposed him on many occasions and he would do the state of Florida a great service by retiring from public life.
Flip-flopper in an important position quivers when needed!!! Poor record in Senate. Shameful for the party!
They just cannot keep a promise. None of our elected officials are to be believed. He said he had honor well where is it?
Rubio needs to support Trump.
Despite the Fl Memorial (SB-118), almost 2 yrs ago; Rubio has not become a co-sponsor of HR-25 (FAIRtax); His involvement with the ‘gang of 8’ in unconscionable! (Plus his blaming Cruz for what he [Rubio] did.)
How can you trust Rubio he’s gone back on every single promise he’s made?????
he went back on his word / so U cant believe HIM
i’m sure that the GOP IS PANICKING BECAUSE THE DEMO. CANDIDATES COULD BEAT ALL THE GOP. CANDIDATES. SO THE GOP PROBABLY BEGGED RUBIO TO RUN SINCE IS THE BEST POSSIBLE CHOICE LEFT AND HE WILL PROBABLY LOOSE.
The RNC is trying to appeal to many and satisfying a few. Rubio has the privilege to change his mind, depending I am sure, on his advisors. Who does the RNC want to run in his place? Do we know? I sure don’t. Could that candidate win the seat this late in the process? It is possible that we Conservatives could inherit some one who is more interested in gun control or abortion. Who knows? I think we should keep the devil we know, not chance losing that seat.
Because Grayson is running, and it is likely to be a victory for him unless Rubio runs and now complicates the issue. He should stay out of it now. He hates Trump, which is not good to begin with, and I also do not agree with Trump on all his policies. But I think it is better to let Grayson get the vote under the circumstances. We need a Republican in that seat.