Rubio to Trump: Sorry about small penis jab
Former Republican presidential candidate apologizes to presumptive nominee for getting too personal
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Former US presidential candidate Marco Rubio revealed he had personally apologized to Donald Trump for comments he made about the presumptive Republican nominee’s small hands.
In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” show that aired on Sunday night, Rubio, who has in the past publicly expressed his regret over the crude jest, explained that he also made amends face to face.
“I actually told Donald — one of the debates, I forget which one — I apologized to him for that,” Rubio said as he reviewed his ultimately failed bid for the presidency. “I said, “You know, I’m sorry that I said that. It’s not who I am and I shouldn’t have done it.” I didn’t say it in front of the cameras, I didn’t want any political benefit.”
Rubio did not reveal how Trump received the apology.
The apology came after the Republican nominee rivalry between Rubio and Trump dropped below the belt earlier this year.
On February 28 at a rally in Virginia, Rubio had hit back at Trump for referring to him as “Little Rubio” due to the difference in height between the two men.
“He’s like 6’2” which is why I don’t understand why his hands are the size of someone who is 5’2″. Have you seen his hands? You know what they say about men with small hands” Rubio said suggestively, drawing laughter from the crowd before adding “they can’t be trusted.”
Days later at the televised GOP debate on March 4 Trump thrust Rubio’s comment into the face of the audience as he spread his hands out front of him.
“Look at those hands, are they small hands?” he said. “And, he referred to my hands — “if they’re small, something else must be small.” I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee.”
As pundits and the public gawked at what was seen as a nadir in US electioneering, Rubio soon publicly expressed his regrets in media interviews.
“At the end of the day, you know it’s not something I’m entirely proud of,” he told MSNBC less than a week later. “My kids were embarrassed by it, and if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t.”
In another interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly he said ““I want my kids to be proud of me, and I don’t think it reflected well on my faith. That’s not who I am.”
Rubio ended his run for presidency on March 15 as Trump increasingly pulled ahead to eventually become the only Republican contender still running and the presumptive nominee for the presidential bid in November.
