Sen. Marco Rubio wavered Saturday on his pledge to support Donald Trump for president if the Trump wins the Republican nomination.
“It is getting harder every day,” Rubio told reporters.
Rubio spoke after opposition to the GOP front-runner came to a boiling point Friday when thousands of protesters succeeded in shutting down a Trump rally in Chicago.
Before holding a rally in Largo, Fla., Rubio addressed his pledge, which he repeated at Thursday’s GOP debate, to support the eventual nominee.
“I don’t know,” Rubio told reporters Saturday. “I mean, I already talked about the fact that I think Hillary Clinton would be terrible for this country, but the fact that you’re even asking me that question — I still at this moment continue to intend to support the Republican nominee.”
After Trump postponed his Chicago rally and the ensuing scuffles and demonstrations, the Florida senator criticized Trump on Friday for his often controversial remarks. Those include calling Mexicans “rapists”, urging a ban on Muslims from entering the U.S., and even saying he wanted to confront a protester and “punch him in the face.”
Rubio said that while the Chicago protesters went too far, Trump shares responsibility for “the general tone” of his campaign.
At his rally, Rubio reiterated his uncertainty about backing Trump as the GOP nominee.
“I don’t know anymore,” he told the audience.
“If Donald Trump is our nominee … it will fracture the Republican Party,” Rubio said. “He will define what it means to be a Republican and a conservative” for generations to come.
