Former President Donald Trump ridiculed him and gave him a “little” nickname when they were rivals in 2016, but he is proving to be a big hit this cycle with donors eager to see him as vice president.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio was ‘ambushed’ by donors at an event at Mar-a-Lago last week The Financial Times reported this on Fridaywith one Republican strategist saying the lawmaker was “the one with the most attention.”
The theory among the donor class is that Trump needs to pick a running mate to broaden his appeal — and Rubio could do that by being a more traditional Republican and Latino.
That goes against the wishes of Trump’s most fervent supporters, those who fought the crowds to show up at Saturday’s rally in Wildwood, New Jersey.
There, supporters told DailyMail.com they would prefer to see another Florida man as Trump’s running mate, his former 2024 rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey on Saturday. Trump is looking for a VP candidate to replace former Vice President Mike Pence — and his donors and most fervent supporters have different ideas about who that should be
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, seen on stage with Trump during a 2016 primary debate, has caught the attention of Trump donors who believe he should diversify his ticket beyond the MAGA base. Rubio is a more traditional Republican and Latino
“I love DeSantis,” said 80-year-old Linda Donnelly, who traveled from Long Island to the meeting. “Because he’s very much like Trump, but with a little bit of – I don’t want to use the word class – what would be another word? He’s Trump, but with a slightly better vocabulary.’
Donnelly shrugged at the thought of Rubio.
“I like Marco Rubio, but I still don’t think he, you know,” she said, indicating that he lacked the “it” factor.
Jacki Ortiz, a 53-year-old from South Jersey who was standing nearby, volunteered “not Rubio” before the question was even asked.
She favored Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance or entrepreneur and former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
When asked about North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum – who joined Trump at Saturday’s rally that increased VP speculation – Ortiz told DailyMail.com: ‘Not as bad as Rubio, but I think the other two more fun.’
She also joked that she thought South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s bid to become Trump’s running mate had been shot down.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump, who braved the crowds to attend Saturday’s Wildwood, New Jersey rally, found Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as a potential VP pick
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was the top vice presidential choice for several supporters of former President Donald Trump at Saturday’s large rally on the Jersey Shore. DeSantis was considered more “America First” than Vice Presidential hopeful Florida Senator Marco Rubio
“No, I’m fine with my dog,” Ortiz said.
Nancy Martin, a 62-year-old beautician who traveled from Baltimore, Maryland to the meeting, also endorsed DeSantis as veep over Rubio.
“My first choice is DeSantis,” she said. “Because I love him,” she laughed.
“Because he’s a great governor, I think he’s great and he’s America First.”
She said her second choice was Dr. Ben Carson is because of his strong ties to Baltimore.
As for Rubio, he’s a no.
“I didn’t like him in the first election and he wasn’t really – America First always, you don’t give up, you stay on the Trump train, you don’t back down, that’s it, that’s how I feel,” Martijn said .
Martin also said she thought it was “weird” that DeSantis ran against Trump this time.
“It wasn’t his turn yet,” she said. “It wasn’t his time.”
DeSantis’ well-financed 2024 campaign ran out of steam in late January, ahead of the New Hampshire primary, after finishing a distant second in Iowa after spending months on the ground there.
Florida’s governor said during a phone call in February that he would not want to be Trump’s vice president.
DeSantis struggled in part because he didn’t want to hit Trump too hard, making it difficult to distinguish the Florida governor from the ex-president during the race.
He also appeared clumsy on the stump and was plagued by reports that he was secretly wearing high heels.
During his own race in 2016, Rubio had that in common with DeSantis, as he was accused of carrying lifts.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump listen to the national anthem before Saturday’s rally in Wildwood, New Jersey. Trump is in the process of choosing a ticket mate with supporters saying they liked Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. JD Vance, Vivek Ramaswamy and others
But Rubio briefly made some pretty big swings toward Trump along the way.
After trailing Trump in Iowa and New Hampshire, the Florida senator went on a week-long tear in February 2016.
“And you know what they say about men with small hands?” Rubio said during a campaign stop.
He paused, leaving supporters to wonder if he was drawing attention to the extent of Trump’s you-know-what.
“You can’t trust them, you can’t trust them,” Rubio said at the time.
Additionally, Rubio mocked Trump’s “orange” appearance, saying he had a “sweat mustache” during one of the Republican Party primaries, while also mocking the real estate mogul for having “wet” pants.
He later said in a May 2016 interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that he called Trump to apologize for the things he said when they were rivals.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio appeared on Fox News last Sunday and was asked if he would move from Florida to fulfill the 12th Amendment requirement to become Trump’s vice president. He did not answer the question directly
“I didn’t say it in front of the cameras,” the Florida senator said. “I didn’t want any political advantage.”
During Trump’s four years in power, Rubio was an ally on many fronts — and he appears interested in the vice-presidential job.
While there is a constitutional problem for both Rubio and DeSantis — the Twelfth Amendment prevents voters from electing a president and vice president from the same state — one of the men would have to move from Florida.
When asked last week on Fox News Sunday whether he would become vice president, Rubio did not directly answer the question.
“First of all, the vice presidential choice with Donald Trump will be made by one person, and that’s Donald Trump, and all this other stuff is just speculation. I understand, you know political reporters have to cover political topics. The primaries are over, the general is six months away, so then we start speculating on the VP issue,” he said.
“He will have an extremely talented group of people who can serve this country in multiple roles, and that is a decision he will have to make,” the Florida senator added.
The choice for a vice president is typically announced just before the party’s political convention, while this year’s Republican National Convention will take place in mid-July.