Donald Trump on Tuesday said he “can’t wait” to attack Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on the campaign trail. But for now, the Republican presidential front-runner is holding off because Rubio’s “a nice young man.”
Speaking to voters in Sparks, Nev., hours before the state’s Republican caucuses, the billionaire said he won’t go after Rubio, one of his strongest opponents, unless the Florida senator hits him first.
“Marco Rubio’s a nice young man, right?” Trump asked members of the audience. “I can’t hit him, he hasn’t hit me. No, no, he has not hit me. I’m treating him nicely.”
But, Trump warned, “When he hits me, oh is he going to be hit.”
“Actually, I can’t wait,” he added, noting that he’d previously said the same of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who he’s now attempting to brand as a dishonest politician.
“We were both being very nice, and he was being very nice,” Trump said. “And then all of a sudden, he said something a lot off color and I said, ‘Well, thank goodness. It’s time.'”
Trump attributed Cruz’s underperformance among evangelical voters in Saturday’s South Carolina primary to his repeated criticism of the Texas senator.
“So we’ll see what happens with Marco,” Trump said. “At some point he might get nasty and I hope he does because then it gets more fun.”
Trump and Rubio are both expected to do well in the Nevada Republican caucuses Tuesday evening, though Trump has maintained a significant edge over the 44-year-old senator in several recent state-level polls.
