On Wednesday, all three network morning shows interviewed Florida Senator Marco Rubio following Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate and grilled him on GOP opposition to illegal immigration. On NBC’s Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie proclaimed: “One of the most heated exchanges...came over immigration, and Trump's vow to deport 11 million illegal immigrants. Some on the stage suggested that is a gift to Democrats....I asked him if he agreed that his party’s handling of that issue is alienating the Latino voters.”
Rubio pushed back on the biased assertion: “You know, this belief that the Hispanic community is in favor of illegal immigration is false, it's just not true. Hispanic communities are deeply impacted by illegal immigration and there are millions of Hispanics in this country who have either come legally or have relatives that are waiting to come legally.”
Following Guthrie’s exchange with Rubio, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd whined: “Marco Rubio, he never got challenged at all last night. He got to sort of stay on script. By the way, your interview is the first time I got to hear him on immigration. Totally ducked the immigration issue....it tells you how concerned Rubio is, he doesn't want to touch that third rail just yet.”
On CBS This Morning, co-host Norah O’Donnell demanded: “The administration appealed to the Supreme Court yesterday to block the deportation of four million immigrants after a court of appeals upheld an earlier injunction....Are you for deporting those four million immigrants who are the parents of many legal residents here?”
Rubio responded: “I mean, this country has a right to have immigration laws and it needs to enforce those laws or you don't have laws. No one has a right to illegally immigrate to the United States. And so, look, this is an issue that’s very difficult.”
O’Donnell pestered: “Understood Senator, but can I clarify your position on that? Can I clarify your position on that? You would see the four million-plus immigrants deported?”
Rubio declared:
My position on this is not confusing. We need to enforce our law and I do not support DAPA, it’s unconstitutional. It's the wrong way to do this and, quite frankly, we need to begin to enforce our immigration laws in this country or we don't have immigration laws. Every country in the world has immigration laws. America is entitled to have to have laws and is entitled to enforce them.
On ABC’s Good Morning America, co-host George Stephanopoulos began his interview by wondering: “But you stayed out of some of the big debates, including that debate between Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and Donald Trump over immigration and Trump's mass deportation plan. Kasich called it ‘silly, not adult.’ Is he right?”
Rubio didn’t take the bait: “Well, first of all, my position on it is well stated, and that is we have to deal with immigration in three steps. We can't do it all at once. We tried to do that in 2013 and the American people just don't trust the federal government.”
Here is a full transcript of Guthrie’s November 11 interview with Rubio:
7:06 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: One of the most heated exchanges, as you said, came over immigration, and Trump's vow to deport 11 million illegal immigrants. Some on the stage suggested that is a gift to Democrats. We talked to Senator Marco Rubio earlier this morning and I asked him if he agreed that his party’s handling of that issue is alienating the Latino voters.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Marco Rubio One-on-One; Candidate on Last Night’s Performance, Feud With Bush]
SEN. MARCO RUBIO [R-FL]: You know, this belief that the Hispanic community is in favor of illegal immigration is false, it's just not true. Hispanic communities are deeply impacted by illegal immigration and there are millions of Hispanics in this country who have either come legally or have relatives that are waiting to come legally. So I think all Americans want to see our immigration system work better, who want to be realistic but responsible about what you do with people that are already here illegally, but you have to bring illegal immigration under control. We are a sovereign country. We are entitled to control who comes here, how they come here, and when they come here.
GUTHRIE: And finally, Jeb Bush this week, we read in The New York Times, is preparing an all-out assault on your campaign, his super-pac reportedly willing to spending up to $20 million to do so, and you wasted no time fundraising off of that story. What do you make of that, and do you think that he is inadvertently helping your campaign in this way by saying Marco Rubio is the target, the one we should be worried about?
RUBIO: Well, obviously if we're attacked we're going to respond, but ultimately we can't control other people's campaigns. If they decide that attacking us is the way forward, they have a right to make that decision. They’re wrong. It's not going to change my campaign. My campaign is going to continue to be about the future of America and what we need to do to ensure that the 21st century is a new American century.
GUTHRIE: Does it help your campaign?
RUBIO: Well, I think there are a lot of people that are turned off by that kind of attack. I think people are more interested in, what are you going to do if we elect you president and how you're going to turn this country around? And less about what names can you call your opponents. But again, everyone runs their own campaign. I'm going to run mine.
GUTHRIE: Senator Marco Rubio, good to have you with us, sir, thank you.
RUBIO: Thank you.
