Senator Marco Rubio blasted a New York Times reporter who called it “very strange” that he would be smiling at an event for his former rival, President Donald Trump.
The Florida Republican fired back at Michael Barbaro, host of the New York Times’ podcast “The Daily,” after he tweeted about Rubio “smiling and chuckling” at Trump’s re-election rally in Orlando on Tuesday.
“BREAKING,” Rubio sarcastically said in a tweet shortly after Barbaro’s. “In an unprecedented move a Republican Senator attended a rally in his home state in support of the re-election of a Republican President.”
BREAKING
In an unprecedented move a Republican Senator attended a rally in his home state in support of the re-election of a Republican President. https://t.co/0zC3nvJB0X
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 19, 2019
Rubio added a few more jabs in follow-up tweets, mockingly calling out Barbaro for his “meticulous investigative journalism” when he covered the senator in 2015.
As opposed to smiling & chuckling at a rally for a radical liberal candidate for President who will undo policies to confront China,reduce regulations & taxes,defend liberty in Venezuela & protect the unborn? https://t.co/0zC3nvJB0X
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 19, 2019
BTW, this is the same reporter who in 2015 after 3 weeks of meticulous investigative journalism uncovered that my wife had traffic tickets,I had a fishing boat & my home has big windows. And in 2016 he broke the story that I had some boots with higher heel. https://t.co/0zC3nvJB0X
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 19, 2019
His outburst earned him a fresh round of criticism, as author Molly Jong-Fast and MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, among others, took shots at the senator.
You seem defensive
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) June 19, 2019
Marco Rubio drank the Trump poison and now it oozes from his twitter fingers. https://t.co/SzmwfU7db7
— Lawrence O’Donnell (@Lawrence) June 19, 2019
Rubio’s relationship with the president took a decidedly different turn after Trump entered the White House, following a contentious presidential campaign season in 2016 that saw them often trading personal insults. Trump nicknamed the Florida senator “Little Marco,” and said he “choked like a dog” during a debate.
“He couldn’t get elected dog catcher in Florida,” Trump said at one point.
Rubio had called Trump “a con artist” and the man “with the worst spray tan in America.”
Only three years since @marcorubio accused Trump of having a meltdown and wetting his pants during a debate. ?♀️ pic.twitter.com/yB2hqEoI9c
— ??????? (@dogkeg) June 19, 2019
“He’s flying around on Hair Force One,” Rubio mocked Trump at a campaign rally in Kennesaw, Georgia in 2016.
But three years after trading insults, the GOP senator was on hand in Orlando to support the president as he announced his 2020 reelection campaign. Rubio tweeted several times from the rally at the Amway Center, where he said there was “no better place to kickoff a campaign for President than the Sunshine State.”
No better place to kickoff a campaign for President than the #SunshineState
The road to #Victory2020 runs through #Florida
Let’s go! #Sayfie #FlPol https://t.co/FxvVcJUFuc
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 18, 2019
Just arrived in #Orlando on AF1 with @SenRickScott @LindseyGrahamSC & @mattgaetz for tonight’s campaign kickoff for #Trump2020 pic.twitter.com/cMiHAQCWvB
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 18, 2019
It’s official#KeepAmericaGreat pic.twitter.com/xP1FtwNmmW
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 19, 2019
And so it begins…#TrumpPence2020 pic.twitter.com/ok3hxETYpS
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 19, 2019
But Rubio’s enthusiastic support of the president baffled the left and he soon began trending on Twitter.
During the 2016 primaries, Marco Rubio called Donald Trump a “con artist” and suggested he’s a “lunatic” who can’t be trusted with nuclear weapons.
Here‘s a fundraising email from him tonight ? pic.twitter.com/T7CMUdhSkK
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) June 19, 2019
Only weighing in here because I covered both candidates in 2016: This is mindnumbingly disingenuous. Even after Trump won the nomination, Rubio only agreed to be at the same rally as Pence, and even that didn’t materialize. https://t.co/HGRpqO2yJa
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) June 19, 2019
Still fascinating to see Rubio – whom Trump mocked and abused like a rented mule, calling him a “con man” and “nasty guy” – sit, stand and applaud when Trump commands.#LittleMarco
— Scott Maxwell (@Scott_Maxwell) June 19, 2019
Trump emasculated you on national television, over and over again, and you proved once again you’re his lapdog. I’m mortified for your entire family.
— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) June 19, 2019
Buried in the social media mockery of Rubio were comments from many Twitter users who called out the critics for slamming the senator.
Yes, NYT reporter, how unprecedented to see former primary opponents support each other. First time it has ever happened in history, if I’m not mistaken. https://t.co/MRCNGrWP3K
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) June 19, 2019
Wasn’t Trump excoriated in 2016 for saying he *wouldn’t* necessarily support the nominee? Now they’re after Rubio for, yup you guessed it, supporting the nominee, aka POTUS.
— KT (@kristlucky13) June 19, 2019
It’s not a problem when Beach House Bernie does it though….
— Beto KwonDoh (@RexKwon_doh) June 19, 2019
The media just doesn’t get it. https://t.co/2hIMkjWCUH
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) June 19, 2019
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