A Florida Senator who is in the vice presidential mix is pushing back against criticisms of Donald Trump's comments about migration from Latin American countries.
During a Noticias Telemundo interview, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio answered pointed questions from interviewer Julio Vaqueiro about whether Latino immigrants are "poisoning the blood" of the country, saying they were idiomatic and not reflective of any racism by the former President.
"To begin with, I think he speaks that way and in that manner. There've been Hispanics in his Cabinet, or rather, on his staff. As the press mentions, he's considering one as his vice presidential running mate. He's had very strong ties to the community," Rubio said in Spanish, with an English translation provided by the network.
"Second, it's a mistake to think that the immigration that's coming into this country is only from Latin America. It's from all over the world. I believe that when he speaks that way, what he's saying is that this is a danger to the country. He's not talking in an ethnic or racial way. He's talking about how no country can withstand 10 or 11 million people across three and a half years of irregular, uncontrolled, complete chaos on the border. No country allows it."
Pressed further, Rubio said "poisoning the blood" is simply a "saying that he uses, but it has nothing to do with race, because in the end, he's talking about the country, not the population."
"The country is threatened by this influx of people, which we now know even includes criminals and terrorists," the third-term Republican Senator said.
During the same interview, Rubio also addressed ongoing speculation that he could be on the Trump ticket, noting that he's not new to the VP derby.
"I went through the same speculation with Mitt Romney in 2012, and that's normal, because the Primary campaigns are over and the conventions being next, and obviously, a debate as well. So, there are people covering politics that have to cover something, and, naturally, they're going to pick somebody. I haven't talked to the (Trump campaign) about that," he said.
He added that "the bottom line is that if one has the opportunity to serve this country as vice president, it's an honor to be considered, and at the same time, a great opportunity to continue to serve."
"I'm happy in my role in the Senate, but to have the possibility of being part of the executive branch is something that one has to consider very seriously," Rubio asserted.
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