Marco Rubio pushed back against criticism of his personal finances Wednesday, saying the issue has been overblown.
“Bottom line is I don’t come from a wealthy family,” the Republican presidential candidate and Florida senator said on “Good Morning America.” “I only have one debt in the world, which was my mortgage on the home that my family and I live in in Miami.”
Rubio has been climbing in the polls lately, but he’s been criticized by rivals and the media for mixing personal and work expenses on a Republican Party credit card when he was in the Florida House of Representatives, and liquidating a retirement account recently. Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Rubio’s a “disaster on his credit cards,” and a Jeb Bush campaign memo called him a “risky bet” because of his finances.
Rubio said he liquidated a retirement account, paying significant fees to do it, to ensure that his family had ample cash on hand for unexpected expenses — “like when your refrigerator breaks,” he said – while he was running for president. saying
He also pushed back against criticism of his use of a Republican Party charge card, saying he didn’t use the card improperly. “When this was initially reported in the press, it was made into something bigger than it truly is,” Rubio said. “I wouldn’t do it the same again to avoid all these stories, but the Republican Party never paid any of my personal expenses,” Rubio said.
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