Despite months of xenophobia and fascist rhetoric, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz insist they will support Donald Trump if he’s the GOP nominee. That, combined with their refusals to explicitly denounce Trump’s Muslim ban, places Rubio and Cruz squarely to the right of two of the European Union’s far-right’s most infamous xenophobes: Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s “anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim” Front National, and Nigel Farage, leader of the UK’s “right wing anti-immigrant” UKIP.
Here’s Le Pen’s response when asked about Trump’s plan, according to the New York Times:
“Seriously, have you ever heard me say something like that?” she asked on Thursday when questioned about Mr. Trump’s comments during a television interview. “I defend all the French people in France, regardless of their origin, regardless of their religion.”
And here’s what Farage had to say, according to BuzzFeed News:
“He’s gone too far,” the UKIP leader told the BBC News channel when asked about the comments made by the would-be Republican nominee. “I would expect people to say this is unreasonable, because what you would be doing is punishing a lot of very good people because of the actions of a few.”
Now, compare that with Rubio, Cruz, and Reince Priebus’s responses, each of which were, more or less: “I don’t agree.”
And while you’re at it, remember that Cruz not only neglected to criticize Trump, but also voted against a Senate measure to formally reject Trump’s fascist proposal.
Chasing Trump further to the right, Cruz and Rubio are fast approaching Geert Wilders — leader of the Netherlands’ anti-immigration party, Dutch Party for Freedom — an outspoken xenophobe who endorsed Trump and celebrated the announcement of his anti-Muslim ban.
Published: Dec 11, 2015