Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio on Friday called front-runner Donald Trump a “con artist”, pledging to expose the real estate mogul and pressure him to reveal his finances.
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Stephanopoulos asked whether Trump could be stopped if he wins many states on Super Tuesday, but Rubio responded he expects to pick up delegates with the states awarding them on a proportional basis, and he says he would win his home state of Florida on March 15.
‘He (Trump) is reflecting a view the Republican leadership has betrayed the grassroots on a number of issues, but most notably immigration, ‘ he told Sky News. And when Cruz challenged Trump’s conservative credentials by suggesting he’s been too cozy with Democrats, the front-runner ripped the senator for being loathed by many of his Senate colleagues.
The debate played out as a raucous night of tit-for-tat insults, with candidates shouting over one another so much that it was hard to follow at times. Trump, of course, has no specifics, and so could offer none, but he came back at Rubio for having a “meltdown two weeks ago with Chris Christie”, referring to a moment in which Rubio repeated himself over and over again during a heated exchange with the New Jersey governor.
Whether the anti-Trump attacks will have any effects on the upcoming primaries is doubtful. He pulled off a very tricky self-deprecating attack, poking fun at himself for his disastrous performance in the previous debate, while mocking Trump for his this time.
“Can you imagine”, Trump said of Rubio meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, “and he walks in and he’s drenched”.
Rubio wrapped up his tweet-filled riff by attempting to come up with the conclusions for Trump’s grammatical errors. “This guy’s a choke artist”, he said, nodding at Rubio, and “this guy’s a liar”, he said, pointing to Cruz. Rubio also questioned Trump’s business background, attacked his preparedness to lead the nation, and charged that Trump has been “sticking it to the little guy” for decades. Cruz earned a laugh contrasting his fight against the Gang of Eight immigration bill with Trump’s activities-firing Dennis Rodman on Celebrity Apprentice.
“The wall just got 10 feet higher”, Trump said.
“The position you’ve taken is an anti-Israel position”, Rubio said. “Could somebody attack me please?” The senator was prepared for Trump’s frequent habit of interrupting and nearly willfully refused to back down when the businessman tried to talk over him.
Trump showed flashes of anger but he never melted down. As Trump blithely went on, Rubio worked in Reagan’s famous line against Jimmy Carter, “There you go again”. “If he builds the wall the way he built Trump Towers, he’ll be using illegal immigrant labor to do it”, Rubio said.
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“I thought he was going to die”, Trump said. The Texas senator said Trump wasn’t releasing his tax returns “because he’s afraid”, and he argued that Trump wouldn’t be an effective opponent against Hillary Clinton in the general election. But Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich were both off to the side — their refusal to engage with other candidates, or criticize anything at all, turned both into afterthoughts. Rubio also effectively exposed the thinness of Trump’s policy solutions especially on health care. Carson somehow made a fruit salad reference (see above) when asked about Supreme Court nominees.
