The war of words is heating up between businessman Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as the two Republicans continue running for the Republican nomination.
For the most part, up until this week, Trump and Rubio have ignored each other. That was on display last week when they both took part in a debate on CNN.
But Rubio took a shot at Trump’s background on foreign policy when asked about it on Fox News on Tuesday night.
“I think the most important thing a president will ever do is provide for the national security of our country and I think up until now he hasn’t really answered serious questions about national security and, until he does, there should be concerns, not just about him but about any candidate that’s not able to speak in detail with clarity and with seriousness about the national security threats that we face,” Rubio said about Trump.
“The job of a president is to ensure we have policies that allow the private sector to grow and prosper, but national security, the government is in charge of that and we better have a president that understands the threats we face and what we have to do about it and if you can’t articulate that as a candidate, you cannot be commander in chief,” Rubio added about Trump. “And so he has to meet that, as the rest of us do as well.
“As of now, I haven’t heard him talk seriously about national security. Hopefully that will change, I wish all of our candidates would speak more seriously about national security," Rubio continued, adding that he thought businesswoman Carly Fiorina has been better than Trump on national security issues.
“The most important thing that we need from our next president is to be someone who understands the threats we face and has real solutions to those problems,” Rubio said before jabbing Trump on the issue. “So far he hasn’t met the threshold in my mind but there’s still time I suppose.”
Trump fired back on Twitter on Tuesday night.
“Senator Marco ‘amnesty’ Rubio, who has the worst voting record in the Senate, just hit me on national security-but I said don't go into Iraq,” Trump noted.
Trump returned to hitting Rubio on Wednesday, pointing to a Florida Atlantic University (FAU) poll which showed the senator from Florida moving up to second in the Sunshine State.
“Headline reads ‘Rubio passes Bush in Florida poll,’” Trump posted on Twitter on Wednesday. “Unfair, because Trump destroys them both!”
Trump has reveled in clashes with some of his fellow Republican candidates, mixing it up with top contenders and dark horses alike. Former Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, went after Trump but lost steam and pulled out of the race. Earlier this week, Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., who opened last week’s debate by going after Trump, pulled the plug on his campaign.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
