Marco Rubio Responds To Pressure Of Being Donald Trump’s Running Mate, Despite Senate Bid


Who will be Donald Trump’s running mate for vice president? Despite bowing out of the race for President of the United States, Senator Marco Rubio is back in the news — perhaps, for the wrong reasons.

Saturday, the former presidential hopeful sat down for an interview with Face the Nation, according to the Washington Times. Moderator John Dickerson probed Rubio about his future in politics. He also pressed the senator about the possibility of joining Trump’s ticket against Hillary Clinton and the Democrats.

“That’s not for me a viable option. And I said that months ago. The differences in policies that me and Donald have had are too big for something like that to work. It would be a distraction quite frankly to his campaign.”

Trump and Rubio sparred throughout the primary races, and both candidates were often pitted against one another in the media. The attacks turned personal, away from policy and their respective visions of America: Rubio teased Trump for having “small hands,” and the former reality TV personality referred to the senator as “Little Marco.”

Rubio eventually apologized to his family and voters about being pulled into the fray, and many claim his counter-strategy led to his undoing in the polls against the frontrunner at the time.

Thursday, Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, who was fired by the GOP presumptive nominee and recently hired as a paid CNN contributor, weighed in his old boss’ VP shortlist choices, according to a CBS News report.

“These are the absolute, very best. They’re people that everyone will know. They’re household names. They’re people that he has said will help him achieve his legislative agenda.

“The individuals who he is talking to about being part of that process have all agreed that they want to be part of that process. There’s been some speculation out there that people don’t want to be part of this — it’s absolutely the opposite.”

While Lewandowski never offered the names Trump is allegedly considering for the VP role, a recent Monmouth University poll showed that 40 percent of prospective Republican voters do not want Sarah Palin as Trump’s running mate. That, at least, removes one name that has been floated around television networks.

Rubio downplayed his interest in the job, which, if correct, runs counter to Lewandowski’s statements about the so-called interests of possible contenders.

“Yeah, well, it’s too late for that. I’m running for the United States Senate from Florida. And you can’t run for two offices at once, so.”

Marco Rubio eventually lightened up on his anti-Trump rhetoric after suspending his campaign for president. After considering his options, Rubio advocated uniting the Republican Party — even if it meant supporting his former nemesis by going all-in. Shortly after ending his quest for POTUS, Rubio said he was leaving politics and returning to the private sector.

However, he recently had a change of heart; last week, he announced that he would seek reelection to the senate, a move endorsed by Ted Cruz and others. Rubio used this as another reason for not having an interest in running alongside Donald Trump as his vice presidential running mate.

Rubio said many Europeans felt left behind in the global economy. Trump has long held that Washington has left many Americans behind, for the agenda set forth by the elite and Washington establishment. When asked about the controversial Brexit vote in the United Kingdom that took many by surprise, Rubio appeared to echo some of the same sentiments as Trump and Britons who voted to leave the European Union.

“I mean, it’s one of the fundamental arguments he’s made, is that the U.S. needs to isolate itself a little bit more from some of the other things that are going on around the world and focus on America first. And there are some elements of truth to that argument. But ultimately, again, not entirely. Because given the dynamics that we now live in today, we cannot isolate ourselves from global events.”

Do you think a Donald Trump-Marco Rubio ticket is possible?

[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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