Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Sunday refused to commit to accepting the 2024 election results, instead pinning the blame on Democrats for creating doubts about election credibility.
When asked on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” whether he would accept this year’s election outcome “no matter what,” Rubio responded, “No matter what happens? No, if it’s an unfair election, I think it’s going to be contested by each side.”
“Meet the Press” anchor Kristen Welker then repeated the “no matter who wins” part of the question, to which Rubio said, “I think you’re asking the wrong person.”
“The Democrats are the ones that have opposed every Republican victory since 2000, every single one. Hillary Clinton,” he continued.
This was a likely reference to the small group of Democrats in Congress who fought the certification of George W. Bush’s win over John Kerry in Ohio in 2004. Clinton, the former secretary of State, officially conceded to former President Trump in the 2016 election the morning after the election.
“No Democrat has refused to concede. Hillary Clinton conceded. Senator, will you accept the election results?” Welker responded.
“Hillary Clinton said the election was stolen from her and that Trump was illegitimate,” Rubio said, to which Welker interjected, “But she conceded.”
“[Clinton] said that Trump was illegitimate. She said that, ‘The election has been stolen.’ Kamala Harris agreed. By the way, there are Democrats serving in Congress today who, in 2004, voted not to certify the Ohio electors because they said those machines … had been tampered with,” Rubio added later.
In 2019, Clinton called Trump an “illegitimate president” and suggested “he knows” he stole the 2016 election, accusing the campaign of voter suppression and voter purging.
Welker repeatedly tried to interject as Rubio continued: “And you have Democrats now saying they won’t certify 2024 because Trump is an insurrectionist and ineligible to hold office. So, you need to ask them. Have you ever asked the Democrats this question on the show?”
Welker then pointed out Rubio voted to certify the 2020 election, despite a push from some of his Republican colleagues who falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. At the time, Rubio said, “Democracy is held together by people’s confidence in the election and their willingness to abide by its results.”
She then asked Rubio, whose name has been floated as a possible vice-presidential pick for Trump, if the former president’s claims of a stolen election continue to “undermine Americans’ confidence in democracy.”
“I think what undermines people’s confidence in the election is when you have places like Wisconsin with over 500 illegal drop box locations, when you have places like Georgia,” Rubio responded.
The Florida Republican went on to accuse NBC News of censoring stories regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop controversy, which Welker repeatedly denied.