Rubio: Nobody in GOP Can Defeat Trump in 2024

(L) Then-Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) answers a question, as then-presidential candidate Donald Trump listens, in Coral Gables, Fla., in a 2016 file photo. Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo

If former President Donald Trump decides to run for president in 2024, no Republican can defeat him, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in an interview Wednesday.

It came after Trump endorsed Rubio, the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, for reelection in 2022.

Rubio described Trump as “the most popular and most influential Republican in America” if the former president runs for the White House in 2024. Trump has not yet made a decision on whether he will run again.

“If he decides to run for the president and the nomination, he’s going to be the party’s nominee,” Rubio told Newsmax. “That’s the way I see it.”

Rubio clarified: “He hasn’t made that decision. It’s still a long way down the road, but if Donald Trump decides to run in 2024 again, he’s going to be the Republican nominee, and I think almost everyone that I’ve talked to would agree with that.”

Last week, Trump endorsed Rubio—a former 2016 GOP presidential opponent—for his reelection.

“Marco has been a tireless advocate for the people of Florida,” Trump said in a statement. “Marco will never let the great people of Florida, or our Country, down!”

The former president said that he was pleased with how Rubio headed the Senate Intelligence Committee with Republicans had the majority in the upper chamber.

“He also ruled that ‘President Trump was in no way involved with Russia,’ as he presided over the Senate Intelligence Committee on the FAKE Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax,” Trump, whose primary residence is in Palm Beach, added in his statement, which was released via his Save America PAC.

Referring to the former president’s endorsement, Rubio said in the Newsmax interview: “This is an extra-special endorsement because he’s a resident and voter in Florida. So I don’t just need his endorsement, I need his vote and the votes of all his family who are also moving to Florida.”

The former commander-in-chief’s endorsement came as there was speculation his daughter, Ivanka Trump, would possibly challenge Rubio for his seat. Ivanka responded to those reports, telling news outlets that “Marco has been a tremendous advocate for working families, a good personal friend, and I know he will continue to drive meaningful progress on issues we both care deeply about.”

If Trump decides to run in 2024, he would likely have to reestablish himself on social media after Twitter, Facebook, and others suspended his account in January. An aide to Trump, Jason Miller, said in a March interview that a possible social media platform backed by Trump is being developed and could be ready within three months.