Sen. Marco Rubio, a potential Trump vice presidential pick, has a strong foreign policy background and has been an outspoken critic of Beijing.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) joined former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Doral, Florida, just days before the 45th president is expected to announce his vice presidential pick.
Former President Trump referred to Mr. Rubio more than a dozen times throughout his speech, at times hinting that the senator could be his choice for a running mate.
“I think they probably think I’m going to be announcing that Marco is going to be vice president, because that’s a lot of press,” the former president said, referring to the large news media contingent on site.
When speaking about his proposal to no longer charge taxes on tips, he suggested that Mr. Rubio might not still be a senator when the bill comes up for a vote.
“Marco, you’re going to vote for it I hope,” he said.
“Well, you may or may not be there to vote for it, but you’ll be involved.”
Mr. Rubio, meanwhile, speaking in both English and Spanish at the rally, praised the former president’s economic, energy, and foreign policy positions.
“We elect this man as president, we will make, together, America greater than it has ever been,” Mr. Rubio told the crowd.
The former president also referred to Mr. Rubio when he mentioned communism.
“We want our freedom,” the former president said. “And we have a lot of people, Marco, from Cuba, from Venezuela, from all over, and they don’t want to hear about socialism or communism.”
Former President Trump described Mr. Rubio—who ran against him during the Republican primary election in 2016—as “a man who’s become really a friend of mine.”
“We had a vicious campaign for a while, and he was tough and he was smart, and I got to really know him well over the years, and he’s a fantastic guy,” the former president said.
By Eva Fu
