Rubio: Trump’s Muslim ban proposal is a bid for attention

Donald Trump’s lead in national and New Hampshire polls does not mean his ideas should be treated seriously, Trump rival Marco Rubio, R-Fla., says.

Rubio spoke Saturday afternoon at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., a few hours northwest of Aiken, S.C., where Trump addressed backers earlier Saturday.

Rubio, widely seen as the front-runner among establishment Republicans eager to topple Trump, took aim at the real estate developers controversial call to ban Muslims from immigrating to the United States.

“I just don’t see it as a serious proposal,” Rubio said. “Obviously, I think he did it largely to get back in the news.”

Rubio, 44, a Cuban-American, pitches himself as the GOP candidate best equipped to groups, like young voters and Hispanics, that have spurned the GOP in recent elections. He said Saturday that the next president should be “honestly, truthfully and passionately committed to equality of opportunity.”

“I will never ask you to give me the power to hurt one group of Americans to help another group,” Rubio said.

Appealing to a crowd of college students, the senator, known for a modern taste in music, laughingly complained that Swedish electronic dance disc jockeys have asked his campaign not play their songs at his rallies.

Related Content