Time is running out for Marco Rubio and the other challengers to Donald Trump. He’s won three out of four states and leads in almost every other state where polling is available, including Rubio’s home state of Florida.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Today Rubio tried everything. He mocked Trump’s spray tan, encouraging Trump to sue “whoever did that to his face.” He called Trump’s airplane “Hair Force One.” He even made fun of Trump’s spelling.
At one point, Rubio clearly referred to Trump as “a lunatic trying to get a hold of nuclear weapons in America.”
Rubio: There’s a lunatic in NKorea w/nuclear weapons and…lunatic trying to get hold of nuclear weapons in America pic.twitter.com/Sb29st8vWF
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) February 27, 2016
It’s worth noting at this point that Trump is the heavy favorite to capture the Republican nomination for president. Predictwise, based on a variety of available data, rates Trump’s odds at 78%.
Rubio, just days ago, was asked directly if he would support Trump if he won the Republican nomination. He said yes.
This is, of course, the difficulty with launching a sustained attack this late in the campaign. There is no time for subtlety. At the same time, these brute force attacks are hard to square with the rest of Rubio’s campaign, which has largely been deferential to Trump.