Sen. Rubio Says Biden’s Criticism of MAGA Is Reminiscent of ‘Third-World Dictatorships’

Sen. Marco Rubio on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 29, 2019. Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Sept. 13 criticized President Joe Biden for calling those supporting former President Donald Trump “semi-fascists,” saying that such a remark has reminded him of third-world dictatorships.

“When you have the president of the United States telling half the country they’re a fascist because of who they voted for, that’s very reminiscent of some of the things you see in third-world dictatorships,” Rubio told Fox News Digital at Aventura, Florida, where the National Conservatism Conference was being held.

Biden lashed out at the MAGA movement during a fundraiser for Democrats at a private residence in Bethesda, Maryland, on Aug. 26. MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again,” the slogan of Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign.

“What we’re seeing now is either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy,” Biden said. “It’s not just Trump. It’s the entire philosophy that underpins … I’m going to say something—it’s almost like semi-fascism.”

Within days, Biden’s remarks drew criticism from some Republicans, including New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Sununu wanted Biden to apologize for his “horribly inappropriate” and “insulting” remarks. Jordan said Biden’s words had contradicted his promise to unify the country in his inauguration address.

“What you’re seeing now is basically, ‘Yes, we believe in free speech, but if you hold certain views that we don’t like or don’t agree with, those are dangerous views, those views lead to violence, those views lead to a danger to democracy, those views are fascist,’” Rubio said.

Rubio added, “Very few authoritarians go out and say, ‘You have no right to have an opinion.’ What they say is you only have the right to have a certain opinion.”

Biden has continued his criticism of MAGA this month. During a prime-time speech in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, the president accused Trump and “MAGA Republicans” of being extremists who posed a threat to the United States. A day after his speech, Biden walked back his claims, saying he didn’t consider Trump supporters to be a “threat” to the country.

At a Democratic National Committee meeting in Maryland on Sept. 8, Biden called out “extreme” MAGA Republicans as those who have “chosen to go backwards, full of anger, violence, hate, and division.”

“Extreme MAGA Republicans just don’t threaten our personal and economic rights, they embrace political violence,” Biden continued, referring to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “They refuse to accept the will of the people. They threaten our very democracy.”

The Florida senator said he was disappointed by Biden’s rhetoric, but it had not surprised him.

“It’s been happening for a while,” Rubio continued. “A year ago, [Biden] said anyone who didn’t vote for the voting rights bill that they wanted … you were segregationist.”