It seems that Marco Rubio simply can’t win when it comes to ABC. Back in February, Good Morning America derided the “ugly” and “strange” attacks he employed against Donald Trump. On Friday, the morning show’s journalists worried he was too mild and didn’t “try” in the debate. GMA’s Stephanopoulos wondered if “you do anything to slow Donald Trump down?”
In a follow-up, the former operative to Bill Clinton wondered, “Anything you wish you would have said [in the debate]?” In a previous segment, reporter Jon Karl derided, “Last night may have been the last big chance to take him [Trump] down, but for the most part they didn't even seem to try.”
Back on February 29, GMA’s Tom Llamas fretted, “Overnight, things continued to get ugly. Responding to Trump dubbing him [little Marco]... Rubio mocking Trump for having small hands.” The journalist lectured, “Fair to say the Republican race in a very strange spot right now.”
On February 26, in reaction to Rubio’s fierce attacks, Stephanopoulos pressed the senator: “But the big question this morning for you, is it too little too late?”
A transcript of the Rubio interview is below:
GMA
3/11/16
7:02JON KARL: Last night may have been the last big chance to take him [Donald Trump] down but for the most part they didn't even seem to try.
...
7:04
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s take this now to Senator Marco Rubio who joins us from Palm Beach. Senator, thanks for joining us this morning. You're getting a lot of good reviews for your debate performance last night but did you do anything to slow Donald Trump down?
MARCO RUBIO: Well, I don't know if it's about tear Donald Trump down. I think it's, like any debate, an opportunity to convince people that I'm the right choice to be president. There are still significant number of undecideds across the country in Illinois and Ohio and North Carolina and the other, Missouri and other states in play, but also in Florida. So I think it's an opportunity to do that and an opportunity to get people supporting other candidates to give you a second look and also an opportunity to reinvigorate your own supporters. So, for me, that's what the debates are about. That's what it was about. Felt good about the night we have, see if it pays dividends. But I feel positive about it.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Anything you wish you would have said?
RUBIO: Well, look, I give credit to the moderators. It was a policy debate. It was very policy oriented, obviously there was a lot of topics we could have talked about that we didn't get to. But, you know, two-hour debate. I give them credit. I thought it was a very substantive debate and I’m glad that it was. I think it was important, appropriate. And, you know, I think, I wish I would have given out my website MarcoRubio.com because every time I do, a bunch of people go on there and donate. Should have done that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: According to most of the polls I've seen over the last several days still down by double digits in Florida. One report that you're not even advertising. How can you make up that ground in the final four days?
RUBIO: Well, we're not down by double digits. I've always acknowledged that it was going to be a tough fight here in Florida. But we're making real progress. I love all the trends that are happening and I think a couple of things are happening: Number one is there is a significant number of voters that are now making up their minds and I think they'll head our way, I hope so anyway and feel strongly they will. And the other is that there’s a lot of Kasich and Cruz supporters that realize neither John Kasich nor Ted Cruz have any chance to win in Florida and if they don't want Donald Trump to be our nominee, then voting for them in Florida is a vote for Donald Trump.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But even if you win Florida on Tuesday night, get every single one of the delegates, by our calculations you'll need to win 78 percent of the remaining delegates to get that nomination. That can't be done. That means your best hope is a contested convention. So, how do you answer Donald Trump's argument whoever has the most delegates going to that convention should be the nominee?
RUBIO: The majority, almost two-thirds of Republicans do not want Donald Trump to be our nominee. If you have someone your front-runner and your nominee who has a significant percentage of the party rejects you’re not going to win a general election. I think I'm the only candidate left in the race who can unite the Republican party and also grow it and so I think that is the reason why ultimately we're going to be the nominee. It's not going to be a traditional way. It will take a long time most people anticipate to get there. But it's important and I feel really good about it, especially after Tuesday when we win Florida, what it’s going to mean for our campaign.
