Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. has been openly critical of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump since they battled for the nomination during the GOP primary.
However, the prospect of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton going to the White House is sufficient reason for him to continue to stand with Trump, Rubio explained Tuesday.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, Rubio said he will not rescind his endorsement.
“I wish we had better choices for President. But I do not want Hillary Clinton to be our next President. And therefore my position has not changed,” Rubio said in a statement.
Rubio’s position, like that of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, makes them unusual among Republicans who were never firmly in the Trump camp, as some have distanced themselves further from the nominee after a 2005 video surfaced in which Trump used sexually explicit language about women.
Rubio’s statement noted that there is a difference between supporting the nominee and agreeing with everything he does or says.
“I ran against Donald Trump. And while I respect that voters chose him as the GOP nominee, I have never hesitated to oppose his policies I disagree with,” the statement continued.
“And I have consistently rejected his offensive rhetoric and behavior. I disagree with him on many things, but I disagree with his opponent on virtually everything,” he added.
Rubio on Friday expressed his disgust with Trump’s conduct in the video.
Donald's comments were vulgar, egregious & impossible to justify.
No one should ever talk about any woman in those terms, even in private.— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 8, 2016