Florida Senate candidate Carlos Beruff will not apologize for his comments calling President Obama “an animal.”
Beruff, a Republican vying to replace outgoing Sen. Marco Rubio, made the comments Sunday at a St. John’s County GOP gathering.
“Unfortunately, for seven and a half years this animal we call president, because he’s an animal, OK — seven and a half years, has surgically and with thought and very smart, intelligent manner, destroyed this country and dismantled the military under not one, not two, but three secretary of defenses,” he said, according to the Huffington Post. “And they’ve all written books about it.”
Beruff also said to applause that Obama “wants us to be just another country.”
Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., called the comments “offensive” and “extremely disrespectful to President Obama’s incredible service to our nation.”
Murphy or Rep. Alan Grayson is expected to be the Democrat who the GOP candidate faces. Murphy is the favorite in the primary.
Rep. David Jolly, a Pinellas County Republican, also took issue with Beruff’s comments.
“Like many Americans, I believe with the strongest conviction that the president’s policies the last seven years have weakened our leadership on the world stage and have weakened us economically here at home, but referring to the president of the United States as an ‘animal’ is an alarming insult of questionable intent and has no place in American politics,” Jolly said in a statement. “Carlos should immediately apologize.”
Beruff’s spokesman Chris Hartline said those criticizing the comments and asking for an apology are in the wrong.
The people who owe an apology are Murphy and other politicians who have been “aiding President Obama in making America weaker,” Hartline said.
Beruff is considered a long-shot candidate among the five GOP candidates battling to win Rubio’s spot.
