Sen. Marco Rubio endorsed Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, highlighting Trump’s past policy successes and criticizing the current Biden administration, as the Iowa caucuses approach.
Sen. Marco Rubio endorsed former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Sunday, announcing his support on the eve of the Iowa caucuses.
In a statement on social media platform X, Rubio cited Trump’s policy achievements, including the expansion of the Child Tax Credit and sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela, as key factors in his decision. The senator expressed his belief in the necessity of Trump’s leadership to address the “challenges posed by the current Biden administration.”
“When Trump was in [the White House] I achieved major policies I had worked on for years … because we had a President who didn’t cave to special interests or let bureaucrats block us,” said Rubio. “I support Trump because that kind of leadership is the only way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created.”
Rubio previously competed against Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries, which featured a notably contentious relationship between the two. In that race, the pair exchanged criticisms, with Rubio calling Trump a “con artist” and Trump referring to Rubio as “Little Marco.”
The endorsement comes at a critical juncture as the Iowa caucuses on Monday set the stage for the later proceedings in the Republican primary race. With Rubio’s support, Trump has now secured the backing of both Florida senators, after Sen. Rick Scott delivered his endorsement of the former president in November.
In an op-ed for Newsweek, Scott praised Trump’s term in the White House, contrasting it with the current Biden administration, and expressed a sentiment of favoring a return to Trump-era policies. The senator also drew attention to the supposed need for the party to coalesce behind a lone candidate, stating that party voters have shown an inclination towards Trump.
“I am optimistic that we can return America to its rightful position of economic and military strength and the undisputed moral leader of the free world, but only with strong leadership in the White House,” wrote Scott. “That is why I support my friend President Donald J. Trump to be the 47th president of the United States and encourage every Republican to unite behind his efforts to win back the White House.”
Scott’s endorsement, as with Rubio’s, spurns Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has struggled to gain traction since he entered the race earlier this year. The latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows Trump continuing to hold a significant lead among likely Republican caucusgoers, garnering 48 percent support as Iowans’ first choice for president, an increase from 42 percent in a prior August poll. The poll also positions DeSantis, who polled at 16 percent, behind former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who surged to 20 percent despite a lackluster debate performance last week.
DeSantis’ 16 percent marks a decrease from his initial 19 percent support when he joined the race, despite his extensive campaigning throughout Iowa and endorsements from key state Republicans.
“Although DeSantis entered the race last year looking like the candidate best positioned to take on Trump in Iowa, the Florida governor has stagnated in the polls, failing to gain any ground over his first Iowa Poll showing in August, when he earned 19 percent,” the Des Moines Register wrote.