CNN's Jamie Gangel hounded Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio over his missed Senate votes on Monday's New Day. Gangel played up how Senator Rubio "said federal workers who don't show up should be fired." When the Florida politician countered that he had said that "federal workers that aren't doing their jobs — that are not performing at their jobs — should be able to be fired," the correspondent replied, "So someone might say you're not showing up. You're not doing your job by voting. You don't think you're in a glass house?" [video below]
Gangel also contended that "Hillary Clinton has had a pretty good two weeks. She had Saturday Night Live. She did well in the debates. She went through 11 hours of the hearings." Senator Rubio replied, in part, that "people may think she had a good week. I think this is the week that it was proven that she lied about Benghazi."
The former NBC correspondent led her interview of the GOP presidential contender (which was split into two segments) by noting "the good news for Marco Rubio: Democrats say you're the triple threat — that you're the young, new, fresh face; that you're great in the debates, that you are Hispanic; and you put Florida into play." She continued by wondering, "Why is it taking you so long to get traction?" The senator responded by asserting that "politics today is covered almost like sports. And so, you watch these teams. They have a really good game. They're the top team in the world. The next week, they have a bad game; it's a disaster. That's not the way campaigns work."
Gangel then asked, "Jeb Bush says Donald Trump has dangerous views on national security. Are you comfortable with the idea of Donald Trump with his finger on the button?" Senator Rubio replied, "I don't believe that, up to this point in the campaign, he has clearly outlined a deep understanding of the issues before this country in a serious way." The CNN journalist then broached the missed votes subject and Mrs. Clinton's supposed "pretty good two weeks."
The correspondent set aside much of her interview (especially the second segment) to lighter topics, such as a possible Rubio appearance on Saturday Night Live; sports; and Rubio's favorite books and music. However, she led the second part of the interview by asking about the senator's relationship with former Florida governor (and Republican presidential rival) Jeb Bush: "So, some might say — look, Jeb was your friend; he was your mentor; he helped you get elected; he helped you raise money. Some might say this is a betrayal. Couldn't you have waited for another election?"
The full transcript of Jamie Gangel's interview of Senator Marco Rubio from Monday's New Day on CNN:
10/26/2015
06:22 am EDT
CNN – New DayALISYN CAMEROTA: Three years ago, Marco Rubio was touted as the Republican Party's future. But is that still true with the rise of Trump?
CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel spoke exclusively with Marco Rubio on the stump in South Carolina. And Jamie joins us now — great to have you here.
JAMIE GANGEL: Good morning. It's great to be here. Look, there's no question Marco Rubio is on the rise. The betters now say he's replaced Jeb Bush as the likely nominee. So we talked about everything from what he thinks about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, to who he would like to play him on 'Saturday Night Live.' But we started with the question of why he still isn't winning in the polls in his home state of Florida.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from pre-recorded interview): I don't — if you start paying attention to these polls in October — I mean, you'll go crazy. I've been up; I've been down.
GANGEL: But you're the sitting senator in Florida—
RUBIO: It's a very unusual year. And I think part of it is that people are really angry about the direction of our country.
GANGEL: So here's the good news for Marco Rubio: Democrats say you're the triple threat — that you're the young, new, fresh face; that you're great in the debates, that you are Hispanic; and you put Florida into play—
RUBIO (from campaign rally): Thank you!
GANGEL: So why is it taking you so long to get traction?
RUBIO: Well, first of all, none of those things matter. That's just campaign talk. It's like politics today is covered almost like sports. And so, you watch these teams. They have a really good game. They're the top team in the world. The next week, they have a bad game; it's a disaster. That's not the way campaigns work.
GANGEL (voice-over): The way the Rubio campaign works is not glamorous. Behind the scenes, he races from event to event — trying to raise money, trying to inch up in the polls, and taking on Donald Trump.
GANGEL: (on-camera): At the Trump event, there were protesters on immigration. And at the end, Trump said, 'I'm going to win with Hispanics. I love the Hispanics.' What do you think when you hear him say things like that?
RUBIO: That's just — I mean, that's Donald being Donald. I mean, that's what it is.
GANGEL: He is the frontrunner, though. Is he more in tune with the Republican Party on this issue than you are?
RUBIO: No. His rhetoric is a little louder, but if you think about where he was six months ago, his position on immigration six months ago is nothing like what he's saying now. And even what he's saying now is — borders on the absurd.
GANGEL: Jeb Bush says Donald Trump has dangerous views on national security. Are you comfortable with the idea of Donald Trump with his finger on the button?
RUBIO: Well, I wouldn't term it that way. I would say that, ultimately, the next president of the United States, on their first day in office, must understand the threats that face this country, and must have shown good judgment about what to do about those issues.
GANGEL: Are you comfortable?
RUBIO: Well, I'm not — the truth is, as I said in the debates the last time on CNN, I don't believe that, up to this point in the campaign, he has clearly outlined a deep understanding of the issues before this country in a serious way. And obviously, he has time to change that.
GANGEL: So right now, he's not ready to be commander-in-chief?
RUBIO: To this point in the campaign, he has not proven an understanding of these issues, or the preparation necessary to be the commander-in-chief of the most powerful military force in the world.
GANGEL: If he's the nominee, would you enthusiastically support him?
RUBIO: Well, I'm going to support the Republican nominee. And I'm comfortable that it's not going to be Donald Trump. And I'm increasingly confident that it's going to be me. And so, I feel good answering that question.
GANGEL: Marco Rubio criticism, over and over again, that you keep missing votes on the Senate floor — 43 percent of the votes. I know you say you're campaigning for president. But, Bernie Sanders, Rand Paul — they've missed fewer than ten votes. You're up at 59 or 60.
RUBIO: Well, everyone needs to run their own campaign. I can tell you that in the history of presidential politics, people have — when they've been running for politics in the Senate, they've missed votes. And I'm not missing votes because I'm on vacation—
GANGEL: But this many votes?
RUBIO: Actually, this is lower than what other people have missed. And here's the other point I would make: I'm running for president so that the votes they take in the Senate are actually meaningful again. A lot of these votes won't mean anything. They're not going to pass; and even if they did, the President would veto it. We can—
GANGEL: The other — the other day, though, you got up on the Senate floor, and you said federal workers who don't show up should be fired.
RUBIO: That's not what I said.
GANGEL: What did you say?
RUBIO: I said federal workers that aren't doing their jobs — that are not performing at their jobs — should be able to be fired—
GANGEL: Okay—
RUBIO: They should be held accountable for not performing.
GANGEL: So someone might say you're not showing up. You're not doing your job by voting—
RUBIO: Not true; not true—
GANGEL: You don't think you're in a glass house?
RUBIO: Because voting is not the only part of the Senate job. I mean, the most important thing a senator does is constituent service. We're still involved in looking out for Florida's issues—
GANGEL: Wait a minute; wait a minute. Votes aren't important?
RUBIO: No. Of course, they're important.
GANGEL: Intelligence committee hearings aren't important?
RUBIO: We do all the intelligence briefings. I was just there this Tuesday. I got fully briefed and caught up on everything that's happening in the world. I'm fully aware. We have a staffer that's assigned to intelligence. We get constant briefings.
GANGEL: Hillary Clinton has had a pretty good two weeks. She had 'Saturday Night Live.' She did well in the debates. She went through 11 hours of the hearings. If it is a face-off, Marco Rubio/Hillary Clinton, how formidable is she?
RUBIO: Well, she'll be the Democratic nominee — someone who comes from a political dynasty. And that, in and of itself, is going to bring fundraising capabilities and so forth.
People may think she had a good week. I think this is the week that it was proven that she lied about Benghazi.
GANGEL: Talk to me about age; you're 44; she's turning 68. Is age in the campaign your advantage or her advantage?
RUBIO: I don't think the biological age of the candidates is the issue. I think it's the age of your ideas.
GANGEL: Are her ideas too old?
RUBIO: Absolutely. Not just her ideas, but the ideas of the political left are completely outdated.
GANGEL (voice-over): Age may not matter, but if they do match up, the differences will be striking. Rubio and his wife, Jeanette, have four young children, and he will stress being the son of immigrants — a bartender and a maid.
That said, like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Rubio is open to also having his moment on Saturday Night Live.
GANGEL: (on camera): Donald Trump is going to host Saturday Night Live.
RUBIO: Yeah.
GANGEL: Have you been invited? Do you want to do it?
RUBIO: I don't think so. I don't think I've been invited. I don't know. We'll see if it makes sense. I'm more curious to see if they're ever going to play me on Saturday Night Live. I just want to make sure it's the right person.
GANGEL: Who do you want to play you?
RUBIO: (laughs) I don't know. I have no idea. Somebody said Mario Lopez the other day. I hope, you know, they bring him on as a guest or something. But I don't — I don't know. I have not thought about that.
MICHAELA PEREIRA (live): He clearly has thought about that. He had Mario Lopez at the front of mind.
CAMEROTA: It's true!
GANGEL: Go for it.
CAMEROTA: So, he said Trump borders on the absurd. Is that the farthest — furthest he's gone so far in criticizing Trump?
GANGEL: And you know what? You've heard him say that he's sensitive and insecure. He said, 'I don't want to be a part of the Trump freak show.' So, you know, Rubio is interesting, because other guys who have gone after Trump get slapped down. Rubio seems to go in, punch, and walk away.
CHRIS CUOMO: Well, he was getting Gangel-ed in that interview. (Camerota laughs) He does not want to go after Donald Trump. It is — it is a counterproductive thing. Trump is very good at that. It's not what Rubio is known for. He's not good for good — known for taking punches and giving punches, and — but you were questioning him and moving him down, and you were testing how far he'd go in terms of how it delineates. And he winds up saying, on commander-in-chief, he's got real questions about Trump.
GANGEL: Right — correct; correct. And I think that it will now be interesting to see Trump come after him.
CAMEROTA: If he takes the bait.
GANGEL: Exactly.
PEREIRA: But do you get a sense that he's, sort of, testing out this presidential candidate Marco Rubio 2.0? Because he feels a little differently than what we've been seeing in the last few months.
GANGEL: Look, if you look at the polls, he's up there, guys. He's number three. So — but Jeb Bush is the establishment favorite. So the question now is, can Rubio raise the money, and can he go to the next level in the polls? We'll see.
CAMEROTA: You're coming back at eight o'clock. You asked him some very interesting questions that I have not heard him answer before, in terms of what kind of music he listens to, some pop culture things—
PEREIRA: Ooh!CAMEROTA: Yes, he reveals an interesting side of Marco Rubio that you wouldn't expect.
PEREIRA: Fascinating!
GANGEL: You know you are interviewing the youngest candidate in the field when he gives you a lesson on hip hop and electronic dance music—
PEREIRA: You don't feel like that's on Bernie Sander's playlist much really?
GANGEL: You never know. We are going to ask him next.
CAMEROTA: (laughs) That's great. Jamie, thanks so much — great to see you.
08:21 pm EDTALISYN CAMEROTA: This morning, we're getting a closer look at Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, courtesy of an exclusive CNN interview. Did Rubio betray fellow Floridian Jeb Bush by running in 2016?
CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel joins now with her interview. You've got a lot of juicy tidbits out of him.
JAMIE GANGEL: Well, we talked to him about a lot of personal stuff he's never talked about. We know about his taste in music. Get ready — how he did in high school — late bloomer. But we started by talking about Jeb Bush — his friend, his mentor — and the state of their relationship now that they are competitors.
GANGEL (from pre-recorded interview): Let's talk about Jeb. The two of you both say you're friends. We went back and looked at your victory night, November 2, 2010, when he introduced you. He said that you were the man for our time.
JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR (from November 2, 2010 campaign event): Bushes get emotional, so I'm going to try my hardest. My wife has told me, don't cry; don't cry. But Marco Rubio makes me cry for joy.
GANGEL: I'm not sure anyone quite believes the friendship is so warm anymore.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not on our part, it isn't. I mean, I'm running for president. I'm not running against Jeb or anybody else in this race.
GANGEL: So, some might say — look, Jeb was your friend; he was your mentor; he helped you get elected; he helped you raise money. Some might say this is a betrayal. Couldn't you have waited for another election?
RUBIO: Well, I don't see the presidency that way. I don't think there is a line, where we all wait and just hand the presidency off to each other because you've paid your dues. I'm running for president because I don't see anyone else on either side who's campaigning on the agenda and the views that I have. I don't view the presidency as some sort of honorific office that you just step aside and let someone else move forward. That's — there's — this is not that kind of thing. We've got to move forward in this country and turn the page.
GANGEL: Jeb has subtly — not so veiled — painted you as Barack Obama 2.0 — that you're young, inexperienced, first-term senator. Is Jeb Bush more experienced than you are?
RUBIO: I think there are people running that have more experience on the issues we faced 35 years ago; 25 years ago; or 15 years ago. When it comes to the issues before America in the 21st century, there's no one running that understands them, or has shown better judgment on them than I have. And that's one of the main reasons why I'm running.
And so, when people run for the presidency or any office, they will say things because they think it gives them a competitive advantage, and that's fine. I understand the politics of it. But that's not what the campaign is about for me. I'm going to tell people who I am and why I'm running and what I'll do.
GANGEL: Let's turn the corner. You want people to get to know you better. So, look, I know two things about you. Your favorite sport is football—
RUBIO: Yeah—
GANGEL: And your favorite team has to be the Dolphins.
RUBIO: Yeah — and the Florida Gators.
GANGEL: What did you want to be growing up?
RUBIO: I wanted to be either a football player, football coach, or sports broadcaster.
GANGEL: And you wanted to play in the NFL?
RUBIO: Yeah, I did — and I would have had it not been for my lack of size, speed, and talent.
GANGEL: You were not the greatest high school student in the world—
RUBIO: No—
GANGEL: Is the story true about the teacher — you were a disrupter, that — she was bribing you not to come to class?
RUBIO: Yeah. And, look — and it cost me a lot of money later on in life, right? Because I had to go up and take classes and pay for it myself and — and take out loans for undergraduate degrees. So I regret not being a good high school student — but I wasn't. But once I started paying for college, I became a really good student.
GANGEL: Is that what turned it around?
RUBIO: Part of it; and part of it is — hey, it's time to grow up and get going here. Even my first year in college, I was not a very good student. What saved me was, I was a voracious reader. I would read a lot. Had I not read a lot, I think I really would have struggled in college.
GANGEL: Favorite book?
RUBIO: Ever? Well, obviously, look, I think the Bible is the most extraordinary document ever written.
GANGEL: Second favorite book.
RUBIO: That's a great question. There are a number to pick from, and I probably — you know, one of the ones I've really enjoyed is the one about Churchill. I think it's called the 'Last Lion' or—
GANGEL: Light side: favorite movies?
RUBIO: (laughs) Well, some of them are not for kids to watch, right? I think I love The Godfather's 1 and 2. And number 3 can — I can do without '3' — although it was fine.
GANGEL: I liked '3.' (laughs)
RUBIO: Well, I like Andy Garcia — like, '1' and '2 'are fantastic. I liked Pulp Fiction. A lot of people don't like it, but I enjoy it. I like Wedding Crashers. I thought it was one of the funniest movies I ever saw.
GANGEL: Favorite music?
RUBIO: Well, you know — I mean, I grew up listening to a lot of R&B music; and, in particular, some of the '90s hip hop music. But the other music that I've really started — I just think it's really grown and exploded is electronic dance music.
GANGEL: Party music, huh? Okay (laughs)—
RUBIO: Well, it's not necessarily party music — I mean, people, — obviously, it's used for that purpose. But, in many ways, it's real genius, and it's a 21st century ability to take music and use it in a way that motivates people. So, you got people like Tiesto, and others out there that are these deejays—
GANGEL: I have no idea who you're talking about. I am really sorry—
RUBIO: Well, they're deejays — in essence, they're like deejays/musicians. So, I think that's a music genre that's global, and is growing rapidly. And it's unbelievable.
GANGEL: You like hip hop. You have four young kids — 8 to 15. Do you let them listen to that?
RUBIO: Not really. I mean, the key is not the music. It's the lyrics, and you don't want kids at a young age exposed to lyrics that somehow glamorize a lifestyle that's hard. It's not reality. So, there's a difference between a 44-year-old man listening to that, and a 16-year-old listening to that and not understanding the difference between artistic expression and reality.
MICHAELA PEREIRA (live): It's so interesting to hear him talk about music and hip hop and movies and all of these things — because you look at him. He's young; he's son of an immigrant; he's Latino; he is handsome; he's a very different face than what we've seen in the GOP, and I think they really need that. But the big question is, does he have the money to make this run worthwhile, even though there's all that hope there?
GANGEL: So, thus far, no. He doesn't have enough money. They had a really rough fundraising quarter. But he's now going up in the polls. People are talking about him. Jeb has been struggling with using up too much of his huge war chest. So, I think the Rubio folks are hoping that the money is going to follow his — his new rise in the polls.
CAMEROTA: We heard in your first piece that he sort of went after Trump. I mean, he said some of the things that Trump is saying is absurd. Is that his new plan? Does he plan to attack Trump more?
GANGEL: You know, I am not sure that they've quite decided, honestly. I think they are playing this a little bit at a time. But if he's going to be the front-runner, I think he will go after Trump more — I do.
CUOMO: Except it is hard to make successful for yourself. And, in truth, the more that the ugliness of the campaign gets exposed, if you're not part of it, may give him a window of opportunity.
I always like the contrast between what the politician says, and what you would say in private. If he can control the music that his teenage daughter is listening to, he is the most qualified person running for president right now.
CAMEROTA: He's a stronger man than Cuomo.
GANGEL: Better man than I—
CUOMO: Because I would love to be in that house and see how that works, just to bring the lessons back home to my own.
PEREIRA: Jamie, terrific interview — thanks so much with sitting down with us and bringing it to us—
GANGEL: Thank you so much; thank you.
