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In Dallas, A Newly Combative Marco Rubio Taunts ‘Con Artist’ Donald Trump

Jokes that GOP presidential front-runner may have wet his pants at Thursday debate.
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The morning after showing new life in a fiery debate performance against his top GOP rival, presidential candidate Marco Rubio kept up his gloves-off attack on front-runner Donald Trump Friday during a rally at Dallas’ Klyde Warren Park.

Like a struggling boxer who suddenly gets a second wind, the Florida senator gave the blunt-spoken billionaire a dose of his own medicine. The aim: bolstering Rubio’s case as the lone “Establishment” candidate who can stop the businessman’s (surprising) march to the nomination.

“What we are dealing with here is a con artist,” Rubio said of Trump, mere moments after taking the stage around 10 a.m. at a rally that was supposed to start at 9. “He’s bankrupted a casino. How do you bankrupt a casino?!”

Echoing the same charges he leveled in Thursday night’s debate in Houston, Rubio lamented that small business people were hurt by the casino failure, scored Trump for his “fake” Trump University, repeated the allegation that Trump favored hiring foreign over American workers at his Florida hotels, and ripped the businessman for “not taking sides” among the countries in the Mideast. “Well, I’m taking sides,” Rubio crowed. “I’m for Israel!”

Then he brought out the really long knives. “The charade is up. This is a con job!” he said of Trump. “He’s a tough guy? This guy inherited $200 million. He’s never faced any struggles. He said the other day he wanted to punch a protester in the face. He’s never punched anyone in the face! If he had not inherited $200 million, he would be selling watches in Times Square!

“What does Donald Trump do when things go wrong? He takes to Twitter,” Rubio continued. With that he pulled out his smartphone and purported to read Trump’s tweets, beginning with: Lightweight Marco Rubio was working hard last night. The problem is, he is a choker”—Rubio read the word as “chocker,” saying Trump misspelled it—”and, once a ‘chocker,’ always a ‘chocker.’ Mr. Meltdown.

I saw him backstage, and he was having a meltdown,” Rubio said of Trump at the Houston debate. “At one point he asked someone for a full-length mirror. I don’t know why … maybe to see if his pants weren’t wet!”

A vendor at this morning's rally was selling Rubio campaign buttons: $5 apiece, or three for $10.
A vendor at this morning’s rally was selling Rubio campaign buttons: $5 apiece, or three for $10.

Rubio went on to read two more tweets, saying there were misspellings in each of them. “It’s just like Trump Tower,” Rubio cracked. “He must have hired a foreign worker to do his own tweets!

“We have a con artist,” Rubio repeated for the third time. “You ever hear of Trump Mattresses? Trump Ice? Trump Water? No, because they’re all businesses of his that went under.” At that someone in the crowd yelled out, “Trump Hot Air!”

That seemed to be Rubio’s cue to turn serious, because he plunged from there into his standard stump speech about the need for Republicans to nominate …

–someone who can beat Democrats Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton (uh, that’s Rubio);

–a true conservative who favors the Constitution and limited government (that’s him, too);

–a believer in strong families, a balanced budget amendment, and free enterprise (Marco again);

–a candidate who will rebuild the U.S. military (guess who). “The war on terror is a fake war right now,” Rubio added.  “When you elect me president of the United States, we are going to have a real war!”

And if the person with all these qualifications wins, he said in conclusion, the American Dream will be alive and well again.

While he sounded in Dallas like a brand new man, Rubio has his work cut out for him. Heading next week into Super Tuesday primary elections in 12 states, including Texas, a poll released Wednesday of likely Republican voters here has Texas Sen. Ted Cruz leading with 35 percent, Trump at 20 percent, and Rubio with 8 percent. Ben Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich brought up the rear in Texas with 7 and 4 percent, respectively.

After two straight second-place finishes in primaries in South Carolina and Nevada—following third-place and fifth-place showings in Iowa and New Hampshire—Rubio’s best chance to win an election will probably come in Florida, on March 15. But even there, on Rubio’s home turf, polls have Trump ahead of him by double digits.

Perhaps that’s why today’s rally at Klyde Warren Park kicked off with an unidentified woman asking the crowd—youngish, respectful, enthusiastic— to close their eyes in prayer. “We pray that our nation wholeheartedly will turn to You,” the woman intoned. A moment later she concluded: “I boldly proclaim a victory for Marco Rubio in this election—in Jesus’ name.”

For all his new fire, Lord knows the candidate could use the help.

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