GOP candidate Marco Rubio has learned that Donald Trump will be Donald Trump.
“It’s Donald being Donald,” Rubio said of the GOP front-runner in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN.
Rubio was referring to Trump’s comment that he will win the Hispanic vote, which the business mogul said after immigration protesters interrupted him at a rally on Friday in Rubio’s state of Florida.
“I love the Hispanics,” he said, just as he loves “the blacks,” Neil Young, the Tea Party and Iowa.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Rubio for being “weak on immigration,” but Rubio said while Trump’s “rhetoric is a little louder,” his position on immigration is not in line with Republicans.
“What he’s saying now borders on the absurd,” Rubio said. “He’s going to deport all these people and then he’s going to allow back in the ones that are good. His plan makes no sense.”
In the most recent University of North Florida poll, Trump leads among likely Florida Republican primary voters with 21.7%. Rubio comes in third with 14.9%. In the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll, Trump also leads with 25% (his highest mark yet), and Rubio comes in third with 13%.
Rubio isn’t concerned about the polls right now though.
“I’m gonna support the Republican nominee, and I’m comfortable that it’s not gonna be Donald Trump,” he said. “I’m increasingly confident that it’s gonna be me.”
Rubio also commented on Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who he says “comes from a political dynasty.” The senator said he disagrees that the former secretary of state has had the strongest week since her campaign started.
“People may think she had a good week, I think this is the week that it was proven that she lied about Benghazi,” he said. Rubio did not explain why he thinks that.
Nicole Brown