Fox News host Megyn Kelly defended Sen. Marco Rubio after Chris Christie accused the freshman senator of being too scripted and avoiding tough questions on the campaign trail.
“Do you take offense at him calling you a boy, a boy in a bubble?” Kelly asked Rubio during an interview with him on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.
“As far as answering questions, Megyn, I’ve been with you at least once a week,” Rubio responded. “We did a debate, you’ve asked me tough questions … others have asked me tough questions.”
“Lots of them,” Kelly agreed.
“I answer tough questions all the time,” Rubio said.
“He says you’re too scripted. You are very smooth.” Kelly agreed, describing his speech after the Iowa caucuses as “amazing.”
“You were so articulate, there was no teleprompter,” she added. “To those who say ‘Oh, he’s scripted’ — Is that scripted or is that just how you talk?”
“That’s what I believe,” Rubio replied. “And obviously when you’re running a campaign you’re driving a message, but why would I tell people anything other than what I believe passionately?”
“Well I will vouch for you — that you have come on the Kelly File regularly and you always sit for the tough questions.” Kelly replied. “And I’ll note for the record, you never complain, never once — even if we ask really tough questions, which I appreciate.”
Kelly then asked Rubio how he would handle Donald Trump if he found himself in the “crosshairs” of his attacks.
“We’ll deal with it,” Rubio added. “If someone says something that’s not true or I think it’s below the dignity of the presidency, we’ll address it. But I’m not going to get off the topic of why I’m running to begin with. Again, I didn’t get in this race to fight with other Republicans.”
Kelly followed up by asking Rubio if he felt that former Florida governor Jeb Bush should get out of the race.
Rubio replied that everybody running should have their chance.
“I respect these people that are running. This is hard. They’re working just as hard as I am,” he said. “They have right to see it through.”