Marco Rubio waged an all-out verbal assault on Donald Trump Friday morning as his allies prepared to spend millions on new attack ads in key states, promising an aggressive and well-funded takedown effort the morning after the Republican front-runner was knocked on his heels on the debate stage.
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Trump, who has taken positions such as banning Muslims from entering the country and building a wall on the Mexican border, does twice as well among white evangelicals as Cruz, who has been courting that constituency. In several television interviews, he questioned Trump’s business background, his ability to lead the nation, and repeatedly called the billionaire businessman a “con artist” who has spent decades “sticking it to the little guy”.
The rally came days before Tuesday’s Super Tuesday primary, when 12 states, including Texas, cast ballots and pledge delegates for the candidates.
Marco Rubio isn’t done mocking Donald Trump. He said if Trump hadn’t inherited so much wealth from his father, he’d be selling watches on the street in Manhattan.
Rubio accused Trump of shifting his position on deportation and staffing his hotels and other businesses with foreign workers instead of Americans.
“I’m the only one on the stage who’s hired people”, Trump countered, to loud applause. Trump got a boost Thursday, when a Quinnipiac University poll showed him handily ahead by 16 points in Florida, Rubio’s home state.
Rubio, appearing amused, quipped: “I saw you repeat yourself five times five seconds ago!”
Both Mr Rubio and Mr Cruz said that Mr Trump had had to pay a million-dollar fine for illegal immigration hiring. He jumped on a question to Trump about releasing his taxes and pressed him to prove that there is nothing lurking in his finances that could blow up in the middle of the general election.
Trump outshines his GOP opponents on nearly every measure, according to the poll — Republican primary voters of all ages favor Trump, along with voters who identify with the tea party.
And if both Cruz and Rubio landed punches, it may have been Rubio who benefited more.
Rubio was the principal aggressor of the night.
For months, the Republican candidates have avoided directly taking on Trump for fear of losing an eye.
Trump insisted that even though officials in Mexico have said they won’t pay for his planned wall, “Mexico will pay for the wall”.
“He should be ashamed of himself, and he should apologize”, declared Trump. And when Cruz said Trump couldn’t beat Clinton, Trump fired back that he hasn’t attacked Clinton but one small time, and after his attack, “they had a rough weekend between Bill and Hillary”.
Just when you think their three heads may pop off, here comes Kasich, tamping down the hysteria by patiently explaining that he favors a guest worker program and a path to legalization, and Carson chimes in that he likes a guest worker program, too, which in this company makes the two of them seem like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz turned their attacks on him, and fully exposed him as basically a fraud and a buffoon.
And the poll found Trump’s negative ratings in Florida are low, with just 21 percent of likely Republican voters saying they would “definitely not support” the part-time Palm Beach County resident for the nomination, with 26 percent saying no to Cruz and 17 percent rejecting Rubio. “It is not equivalent when you have terrorists strapping dynamite around their chests exploding and murdering innocent women and children they are not equivalent to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) officers protecting Israel; and I will not pretend that they are”.
Mr Cruz ramped up his criticism as the night wore on.
“Cruz said Clinton would say to him, “‘Gosh, Donald you gave $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
“He’s making things up”, Rubio told NBC. That all changed in the ninth GOP debate of the campaign, clearly showing the growing sense that Trump is on track for the nomination.
Super Tuesday will be critical because there are almost 600 delegates at stake in Republican races that day.
The debate audience included former President George H.W. Bush, 91, and his wife, Barbara – who missed out on the chance to see their son Jeb take part.
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At one point, as the top three candidates mixed it up, Carson appealed: “Can somebody attack me, please?”
