Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., says he could decide to run for president even if former Florida GOP Gov. Jeb Bush announces a presidential run.
"We certainly know a lot of the same people, we also know some different people," Rubio told NPR's Steve Inskeep in an interview that airs New Year's Day. "I don't believe if I decide to run for president that that will be an impediment."
Earlier this month, Bush said he was "actively" exploring a presidential run.
Rubio said while he had not made a final decision on a presidential run, "we're closer to a decision than we were a month ago."
The two men worked together closely when Bush was governor and Rubio was a rising star in state politics.
Rubio, a first-term senator, is widely viewed as a contender for the GOP presidential nomination. He's a favorite of the party's conservative wing and is a critic of President Obama's policies — from immigration to foreign policy.
In an interview on NPR this week, Obama criticized what he called "a nativist trend" in parts of the Republican Party on the issue of immigration. The president's effort to pass comprehensive immigration legislation remains stuck in Congress.
Rubio co-sponsored a Senate immigration bill that, among other things, included a path to citizenship for those in the country illegally. The GOP-controlled House did not take up the measure. Obama's recent executive actions on immigration make any near-term progress on the issue unlikely.
Rubio told Inskeep that Obama's use of the term "nativist" to describe opposition to the president's immigration plan is "inaccurate and unwise."
"There are very legitimate reasons to believe that this country has a right to have immigration laws and to have those laws respected," he said.
The GOP senator also criticized Obama's push for a nuclear deal with Iran, saying that the Republican veto-proof majority in the upcoming Congress will "require the administration to come before Congress for approval of any deal."
Obama, in his interview with NPR, sounded more conciliatory toward Iran than many past presidents. Iran and the U.S. — along with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — are negotiating over the Islamic republic's nuclear program. The talks resume in Geneva on Jan. 15 despite significant differences between the sides.
Rubio said he was prepared to vote for additional sanctions on Iran today "because I don't believe there is the prospect for a deal." He said decisions in Iran are made by that country's conservative supreme leader and not those negotiating with the U.S. and its partners.
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Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Some other news - we are nearing a high point of the presidential book season. Several potential candidates have books coming out soon. Serious contenders of course can use books like these to get their message out, and their book tours become shadow campaigns. One book out in January will come from Florida Senator Marco Rubio. It's a book on economic opportunity called "American Dreams." Elsewhere in today's program, we questioned Rubio about the new Republican Congress. Right now, we'll hear just a bit more about Rubio's own ambitions. He's considering whether to run for president. But in recent days, another Floridian, ex-Governor Jeb Bush, says he's exploring a run, too. And also incidentally putting out his own e-book. They are both part of the same political network, which leads to a question for Rubio.
Do you think that the state of Florida and its donors and political supporters, activists can support two presidential candidates at once?
SENATOR MARCO RUBIO: Well, first, let me say I have tremendous respect for Governor Bush. And I've said repeatedly, if he runs, he'll be a very credible candidate, potentially the front runner, at least in the early stages because of all the strengths and advantages that he brings to the process. As far as, you know, speculating about whether two people from this same state can run - it's not unprecedented. We certainly know a lot of the same people, we also know some different people. The decision I have to make is where is the best place for me to serve America, to carry out this agenda that I have to restore the American dream given the dramatic economic changes we've had in the 21st century. Where is the best place for me to achieve that? Is it in the Republican majority in the Senate or is that as candidate and ultimately as president of the United States. If I decided its president, then that's what I'm going to do irrespective of who else might be running.
INSKEEP: What's your gut been telling you as you spend the holidays where you are?
RUBIO: Well, this is not a gut decision. This is one that one needs to make obviously on the bases of facts and reality. And so, you know, I haven't made a decision yet on it. I don't have a date in mind or timeframe in mind, but it's certainly soon. We're closer to a decision than we were a month ago.
INSKEEP: That's Florida Republican senator Marco Rubio. He talks with us elsewhere in today's program and at npr.org about the new Congress, Iran and immigration. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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