President Barack Obama is reminding Floridians of some of Sen. Marco Rubio’s old attacks on Donald Trump, and ridicules the senator for still supporting the Republican nominee for president.
Obama says he agreed with Rubio’s comments in February when the Florida senator was still running against Trump. Then, Rubio was raising the alarm about Trump having the nuclear codes and accused Trump of being a “con artist” and “someone who has spent a career sticking it to working people.”
“Now, that begs the question, since we’re in Florida — why does Marco Rubio still plan to vote for Donald Trump? Why is he supporting Donald Trump?” Obama asked during a campaign stop in Miami.
Rubio has condemned several controversial statements by Trump, but continues to support the Republican nominee for president.
Obama went after Rubio repeatedly, calling him out by name and urging his supporters to vote for Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-FL) — Rubio’s Democratic opponent for Senate.
Obama pointed out that the same people who supported Donald Trump were stirred up for years by Republicans who appeared happy to say “all kinds of toxic, crazy stuff” about him and his administration.
“There were a lot of politicians, like Marco Rubio, who know better,” he said. “But they just look the other way.”
Obama said he knew many Republicans who weren’t as offensive as Trump, but argued that Republicans should renounce their nominee.
“There has to be a point where you stand for something more than just party, or more than just your own career,” he said.
Citing Rubio’s history of “idolizing Ronald Reagan” Obama questioned why he was supporting Trump.
“You used to criticize me for even talking to the Russians. Now suddenly you’re okay with your nominee having a bromance with Putin,” Obama said.
He also ridiculed Rubio for supporting Trump — even though he was the son of immigrants.
“Where were you when your party’s nominee for President called immigrants criminals and rapists?” Obama asked.
The president also questioned Rubio’s committment to the Constitution.
“If you say you love the Constitution … But then you stand up and nominate and support a guy who says that he would silence reporters, jail his political opponent in the middle of a debate, deport whoever he wants?” Obama asked.
Obama cited the First Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, and the 14th Amendment, suggesting that Trump was violating all of them.
He continued:
So I don’t give a lot of credit for folks who are just now trying to walk away from trouble. Although I will say I’m even more confused by Republican politicians who still support Donald Trump. Marco Rubio is one of those people. How does that work? How can you call him a con artist and dangerous, and object to all the controversial things he says, and then say, but I’m still going to vote for him? Come on, man. Come on, man!
Rubio’s political team responded that despite Obama’s attacks, the president didn’t say much about Murphy.
“Patrick Murphy has accomplished nothing during his four years in Congress — even the President couldn’t think of anything nice to say about him,” Rubio spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement to Breitbart News.
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