Rubio Defends The Speech He Couldn’t Stop Giving At The Debate

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., gestures as he speaks at a campaign event at Gilbert H. Hood Middle School Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, in Derry, N.H. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
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Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio stood by the lines he repeated at the debate and encouraged Democrats to “keep running that clip” in an interview on Sunday.

Rubio said three times that Republicans had to dispel the notion that Obama “doesn’t know what he’s doing.” ABC News “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos told Rubio that Democrats were circulating the video and asked the GOP nominee hopeful what went wrong.

“Well, actually, I would pay them to keep running that clip because that’s what I believe passionately,” Rubio said, before trailing off.

Stephanopoulos told him he was getting “pounded” for repeating the speech.

“Well, look, we raised more money last night in the first hour that
debate than any other debate,” Rubio said. “As far as that message, I hope they keep running it and I’m going to keep saying because it’s true.”

Stephanopoulos noted that rival New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called him out on it on the debate stage.

“That was not a good moment for you, was it?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“It’s what I believe,” Rubio said. “And it’s what I’m going to continue to say because it happens to be one of the main reasons why I am running.”

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