In interviews with ABC and NBC following his Monday presidential announcement, Florida Senator Marco Rubio was treated to nearly identical questions pressing him on why he dared compete with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush for the 2016 Republican nomination.
In a segment aired Tuesday morning, ABC's Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos grilled Rubio: "I have gotta ask you about Jeb Bush. He's been described as your mentor....You said when you were running for Senate you would defer if he wanted the Senate seat. Why not defer to him now?"
Rubio explained: "That was at a different time in my life and in my career....Jeb is my friend, he's still my friend. He will continue to be – we'll still continue to be friends. I have tremendous admiration for him....I'm not running against Jeb Bush and I hope he's not running against me. We are competing for the same job."
Stephanopoulos pushed further: "You gave a birthday tribute to Jeb Bush where you talked about in the Senate where you would often ask yourself, 'What would Jeb do?'....So if you're asking yourself that, why shouldn't people choose him?"
Also on Tuesday, NBC's Today co-host Matt Lauer took the same line of attack: "Let me ask about Jeb Bush....an article in the New York Times on Friday said there may now be a rift between you and Governor Bush because you have broken an unwritten rule that if he were to run for president, you would not run in that same cycle. That in some ways you would wait your turn."
Rubio replied: "Jeb Bush is my friend and I think he would tell you the exact same thing. I have respect for him, I have admiration for him, he'll be a very strong candidate. I just honestly believe that at this moment in our history, we need to move in a new direction as a country."
On the first full day of Rubio's candidacy, Lauer already imagined the Republican contender's defeat: "And if you move forward, Senator, and find that you don't have what it takes in terms of support to gain the nomination, would you then automatically throw your support behind Governor Bush?"
Rubio rightfully observed: "Well, I mean, it's too early to make decisions like that for him, for me, for anyone. That's a question no one would answer at this stage in the process."
Here are excerpts of the GMA and Today interviews aired on April 14:
GMA
7:12 AM ET(...)
STEPHANOPOULOS: I have gotta ask you about Jeb Bush. He's been described as your mentor. He was governor when you were speaker of the house. You said when you were running for Senate you would defer if he wanted the Senate seat. Why not defer to him now?
RUBIO: That was at a different time in my life and in my career. And the country was at a didn't moment at that point. I think today we're even further along into the 21st century, but not our policies. And I just feel uniquely called to at least lend my voice to this effort, and I think we're going to be successful. Jeb is my friend, he's still my friend. He will continue to be – we'll still continue to be friends. I have tremendous admiration for him. I'm not running against Jeb Bush-
STEPHANOPOULOS: Hard to be friends when you're running against him?
RUBIO: No, I don't agree with that. I think it's important to understand, I'm not running against Jeb Bush and I hope he's not running against me. We are competing for the same job.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You gave a birthday tribute to Jeb Bush where you talked about in the Senate where you would often ask yourself, "What would Jeb do?"
RUBIO: Sure.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So if you're asking yourself that, why shouldn't people choose him?
RUBIO: Well, look, I – and I think that Jeb Bush continues to be a model for people in terms of how you approach public policy. But we've reached a moment now, not just in my career but in the history of our country, where I believe that it needs a Republican Party that is new and vibrant, that understands the future, has an agenda for that future. And I feel uniquely qualified to offer that and that's why I'm running for president.
(...)
Today
7:10 AM ET(...)
LAUER: Let me ask about Jeb Bush. He's a guy you know very well. Some have called him your political mentor. And an article in the New York Times on Friday said there may now be a rift between you and Governor Bush because you have broken an unwritten rule that if he were to run for president, you would not run in that same cycle. That in some ways you would wait your turn. I know you spent time with Governor Bush recently. What's the relationship like today?
RUBIO: Jeb Bush is my friend and I think he would tell you the exact same thing. I have respect for him, I have admiration for him, he'll be a very strong candidate. I just honestly believe that at this moment in our history, we need to move in a new direction as a country. And obviously Governor Bush is going to be a strong candidate with his own set of ideas. I think people will listen to those ideas and be impressed. But ultimately I feel at this moment that I'm best positioned to help lead this country into the 21st century. We'll remain friends throughout this process. And I think he would tell you the exact same thing.
LAUER: And if you move forward, Senator, and find that you don't have what it takes in terms of support to gain the nomination, would you then automatically throw your support behind Governor Bush?
RUBIO: Well, I mean, it's too early to make decisions like that for him, for me, for anyone. That's a question no one would answer at this stage in the process. Primarily because none of us believe that that moment will come for us. I'm fairly – I'm confident that we're going to be the nominee of the Republican Party, but we have to earn it. There's a lot of work to be done, a lot of Today show interviews to do between now and then, but I'm confident about it.
(...)
