Sen. Marco Rubio said Wednesday he doesn't want to spend the next six months "taking shots" at Donald Trump, and even though he does not agree with much of the presumptive GOP nominee's policies and conduct, he'll support Trump and not interfere with his campaign.
"Whether we like it or not, he has earned the right to make his case to the American people," the Florida Republican told
NBC's "Today" show. "He earned it at the ballot box, and I'll respect that. I ran for president. I did the best I could, and it didn't work out. Republican voters have chosen a different direction. I have to respect that result even though it's not necessarily the one I wanted."
Further, even though Rubio said he is concerned about Trump, staying out of the race or even supporting Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton was not an option, as he is "even more scared" about her being in charge.
However, he said that the situation has left him in a "quandary," as "it's pretty clear that this is the position obviously I didn't want us to be in. Donald Trump obviously wasn't my first choice."
Rubio also does not think he'll be taking an active role in the Trump campaign or will speak for him, as he thinks Trump would be better served by having people who fully support him serving as his surrogates.
"[He] would be best served by having people out there working on his behalf that agree with him on these public policies and that are enthusiastic about his campaign and enthusiastically support the things he has stood for," Rubio said. "My reservations about him have been clearly stated and they remain unchanged . . . I have a pledge to support the nominee on top of it and I intend to keep it."
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Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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