Attack his rivals...

Rubio says he's not in race to attack his rivals

By Nick Gass

Marco Rubio is rejecting the notion that he has to go after Donald Trump in order to stop him from getting the Republican nomination, bashing the media for wanting Republicans to attack each other on their way to the White House.

Appearing on NBC's "Today," the Florida senator said that he had not heard criticism that he has gone after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz too frequently and not enough after Trump, pointing out that he has engaged with Cruz on policy differences and in instances where he felt there were inaccuracies being spread about him.

Rubio also pointed to a moment during the Feb. 13 debate in which he rebuked Trump for suggesting that President George W. Bush was responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

“Well first of all, I haven’t heard that. And I talk to people all day. I go to rallies all the time. I don’t have any voters begging me to attack anyone," he said. "Second, I think that’s a media narrative that a lot of people in the media want to see Republicans attacking each other because it makes for good television. I’m not in this race to attack any Republican. I’m more than happy to show differences … and we’ve been able to do it.”

Trump followed Rubio on the show, and when asked why he has not recently gone after the Florida senator, he declined to offer any preview of future lines of attack.

"Well I wouldn't want to tell you. I mean, I wouldn't want to go that far. But so far, he's been very nice and I think I've been very nice to him," Trump said. "We haven't been in that mode yet, but probably it will happen, and if it doesn't happen, that would be a wonderful thing. I mean, it would be very nice. But that's a possibility that it will happen."

Trump has periodically targeted Rubio, mocking him for sweating and sending him a gift pack of water bottles, as he tried to paint him as a weak leader incapable of going toe-to-toe with the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Asked why he thought that Rubio has not gone after him, Trump suggested that his opponent has seen what happened to the other candidates who have done so.