Marco Rubio’s low poll numbers nationwide haven’t deterred the Republican senator from seeking his party’s presidential nomination, with the 43-year-old Florida lawmaker declaring he’s ready to be President of the United States.
Rubio spoke with ABC’s Jon Karl Sunday on “This Week” about everything from global warming to immigration to Hillary Clinton. But Karl began the New Hampshire sit-down with a discussion of the senator’s 2016 prospects.
“I’ve openly said in the past that [running for president] is something I’ll consider at the end of this year,” Rubio said, adding that if he decides to run for president he will not be running for his Senate seat. “You don’t run for president with some eject button in the cockpit that allows you to go on an exit ramp if it doesn’t work out.”
“Do you think you’re ready to be president?” Karl asked.
“I do,” Rubio declared. “But I think that’s true for multiple other people that want to run. I’ll be 43 this month, but the other thing that people don’t realize — I’ve served now in public office for the better part of 14 years. Most importantly, I think a president has to have a clear vision of where the country needs to go and clear ideas about how the get it there.”
Rubio’s presidential prospects, once bright, dimmed considerably over the past year, with a recent poll putting him in tenth place for the nomination — as ABC notes, behind even Donald Trump.
“You know, polls are everywhere all the time,” Rubio claimed. “I don’t really pay a lot of attention to them. If you decide to run for president, there’s gonna be a campaign. And in that campaign you’re going to interact with voters, and you’re going to explain to them where you stand. And those numbers can change, one way or the other.”
And what about Rubio’s strong support for immigration reform, which many believe alienated conservative Republicans and contributed to his sliding poll numbers?
“I remain convinced that we need to do something serious about our immigration problem in this country,” he asserted. “And both parties have a responsibility. We’re not gonna grant blanket amnesty to 12 million people. We’re also not going to round up and deport 12 million people. So that issue has to be dealt with in a reasonable but responsible way.”
