On Sunday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) endorsed former President Donald Trump instead of fellow Floridian Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 presidential election, one day before the Iowa caucus.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Rubio explained his decision, citing his expansion of the Child Tax Credit and tough sanctions on regimes in Cuba and Venezuela.
When Trump was in WH I achieved major policies I had worked on for years (like expanded Child Tax Credit & tough sanctions on regime in Cuba & Venezuela) because we had a President who didn’t cave to special interests or let bureaucrats block us.
I support Trump because that…
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 14, 2024
“I support Trump because that kind of leadership is the ONLY way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created. It’s time to get on with the work of beating Biden and saving America,” the senator added.
Marco competed against Trump in the 2016 presidential election, but backed out of the race following his defeat in the Florida primary. In November, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) endorsed former president Trump, leading both senators to favor the MAGA favorite over DeSantis.
Hours before Rubio’s endorsement, Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), who also withdrew from the 2024 presidential race, endorsed the former president. According to surveys, Trump remains the front-runner in the race and has the endorsement of nearly two dozen GOP senators.
The senator’s endorsement comes as a shock to some, considering presidential candidate Haley endorsed Rubio during his run in the 2016 presidential campaign. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) dismissed Senator Rubio’s endorsement of Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump is the party of Washington, D.C. establishment, and they have lined up behind him. I am the candidate that would be a change agent in Washington, D.C., and I like that contrast,” said DeSantis.
In a CNN interview, Ron DeSantis stated he had more endorsements than Trump and Haley. He also claimed former President Trump received endorsements because Republican members of Congress were afraid of him.
“I think the Washington folks, they’re scared of Donald Trump primarying them or whatever he’s going to do. The state folks, they’re concerned about the top of the ticket. They want to see a strong performance, and then they look at what we’ve done in Florida and say, ‘Man, this guy is a leader, he gets things done,” DeSantis added.
Rubio’s endorsement is a huge deal for Trump, especially if he tries to take over DeSantis in Florida.
