Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) tap-danced away from questions about Donald Trump's "tangents" and misogynist insults during a skirmish with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
The former president attacked Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as an "evil, sick, crazy b–," although he stopped himself from calling her a b---h but mouthed the word, during his last campaign rally before Election Day, and Cooper confronted Rubio over his closing message.
"Obviously, there were a lot of people in his campaign that had a very clear idea of what they wanted his closing argument to be, the economy or the border," Cooper said. "Are you concerned about some of the tangents he has been going off on the last few days?"
Rubio came out firing, saying that Trump had endured unfair attacks on the campaign trail.
"This is a man who has been called Adolf Hitler and his supporters have been called subhuman garbage and compared to Nazis by major media outlets," the senator said. "He has to punch back even harder."
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Cooper reminded Rubio that he used to call Trump a "fraud" when he challenged him in the 2016 Republican primary.
"People are running campaigns," Rubio protested. "Let me tell you something: If you call somebody Adolf Hitler, there is really nowhere else to go. That's the worst thing you could label anybody."
Cooper then reminded the senator that J.D. Vance, who's now Trump's running mate, had previously compared him to the Nazi dictator.
"No, no, no, no," Rubio insisted, as Cooper cocked his head in disbelief. "That was not, that was major outlets in this country, comparing his rallies to Nazi rallies, putting up imagery – no, Anderson, do you know what it is to put up imagery? Maybe it wasn't your network, although I could point to things in your network that label anything he says as violent rhetoric, including jokes and including things that are off the cuff. He has a unique communication style, and he is not going to change the day before. This is the guy who has been subjected to relentless and ruthless attacks against his character and against everything you can imagine. Yes, he is going to punch back, no doubt about it. To argue that in the last 24 hours, after you've gotten Oprah Winfrey – and celebrities can endorse who they want – but last night she said something at a rally: 'If you don't vote today, you never get a chance to vote again.' Really? Come on, this is silly stuff."
Cooper pointed out that Trump himself has been issuing ominous warnings from the campaign trail and reiterated that Vance had compared his running mate to Hitler.
"J.D. Vance has already addressed that and addressed it in the past," Rubio said. "He feels very differently about Donald Trump today. He is his running mate and is a strong supporter. there are a lot of people that will vote for Donald Trump today that didn't vote for him in 2020 or 2016. You know what they are saying to themselves? When Donald Trump was president, life was more affordable, the country was stronger and, ultimately, that is what will matter. When people put gas in their car or have to pay their bills at the end of the month, they believe they will be better off under Donald Trump."
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