Florida Sen. Marco Rubio took to Twitter Friday night to defend himself amid accusations that he had backtracked on his firmly held “#NeverTrump” stance. The criticism came after columnist Phillip Klein wrote a piece for the Washington Examiner claiming that Trump has "exposed" Rubio.
Just a few months ago, Rubio was calling Donald Trump a “con artist” and vowing to “never” vote for the billionaire businessman. But this week, the former GOP presidential candidate expressed a change in tone, saying he’s willing to be “helpful” to Trump.
It's time to take the mask off of Donald Trump. #NeverTrump https://t.co/PYazfEzPfy
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 27, 2016
Rubio got into multiple arguments on Twitter Friday with people who couldn’t accept his modified position. He asserted that he tried his hardest to stop Trump from becoming the nominee, but at this point, Rubio contended, the GOP’s biggest threat is Hillary Clinton, not Trump.
Rubio’s comments drew harsh responses from followers seeking to hold the senator accountable for the statements and accusations he voiced while still running against Trump.
Notably, the tweets triggered this critique from Weekly Standard Editor, Bill Kristol.
The Washington Post’s Juliet Eilperin even compared the confusion Rubio supporters experienced after his sudden turnaround to the feeling of whiplash.
Rubio noted twice that he tried to beat Trump, but voters chose otherwise.
