From Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence to conservative commentator Glenn Beck, many prominent figures on the American right aren’t too happy with Donald Trump’s leaked “locker room talk.” Despite the recent exodus of political support faced by the Republican nominee, however, his former presidential rival Marco Rubio won’t retract his endorsement from the New York real estate mogul. Yes, he’ll pinpoint every single thing that’s wrong with what Trump said back in 2005 (and already has), but withdraw his support from the GOP presidential ticket? Never!
According to the Miami Herald, Rubio reiterated his initial tweeted response to the leaked tape, but refrained from renouncing his advocacy for the Republican presidential pick:
“I ran against Donald Trump. And while I respect that voters chose him as the GOP nominee, I have never hesitated to oppose his policies I disagree with,” Rubio said in a statement. “And I have consistently rejected his offensive rhetoric and behavior. I disagree with him on many things, but I disagree with his opponent on virtually everything.”
“I wish we had better choices for President,” Rubio added. “But I do not want Hillary Clinton to be our next President. And therefore my position has not changed.”
The statement comes after the incumbent’s Democratic opponent, U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy, demanded Rubio withdraw his support from Trump. Judging by the statement above, the junior senator from Florida won’t be denouncing Trump anytime soon, but at least he’s trying to be as clear as possible about his feelings toward the man whose hands he turned into an Internet sensation.
Whether or not Rubio’s lackluster statement has any affect on the final stretch before November remains to be seen. Florida, a major battleground state in the upcoming election, remains a major target for the Clinton camp according to Politico. Clinton told Miami’s WMBM-AM 1490 “if we win Florida, there’s no way my opponent can win. That’s why he’s gonna be in Florida today. He knows that.” Seeing as how the latest poll averages put Clinton 2.9 points above Trump, the Democratic nominee isn’t wrong.
(Via Miami Herald and Politico)
