Sen. Marco Rubio pushed back against Donald Trump’s strict immigration proposals, encouraging Republicans not to become a party defined by anger over this issue.
In an interview with Bill O’Reilly, Rubio was asked about Trump’s growing support from people who were angry about illegal immigration.
Rubio admitted that in 2008, 2010, and 2014, Americans voted Republicans into Congress to address the many problems in the country, one of them being illegal immigration.
“[T]he American people voted to change things and nothing has changed so they are angry about it and he has tapped into that anger,” Rubio explained.
He admitted that he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 as a benefactor of the surge of Tea Party opposition to the establishment, but that he was also frustrated with the lack of progress on many issues.
“It’s deeply frustrating,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons why I’m leaving the Senate and running for president.
But Rubio warned Republicans against becoming a party defined by anger and frustration, especially on immigration.
“I have got to tell you we can’t let anger define us because anger doesn’t solve problems,” he said.
Rubio criticized Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, suggesting that it was too pessimistic.
“I disagree with his statement that he is going to make America great,” he said. “I think America is great … America is a great country. The issue is we could be greater.”
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