President Barack Obama, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio. | AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais Obama mocks Marco in Miami

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — President Barack Obama came to Sen. Marco Rubio’s home turf Thursday to taunt him for supporting Donald Trump, who the senator trashed when he ran against his fellow Republican during the GOP primary campaign for president.

“How can you call him a ‘con artist’ and ‘dangerous’ and object to all the controversial things he says and then say, 'But I'm still gonna vote for him?' C'mon, man!" Obama said as the crowd in Miami Gardens laughed.


“It is the height of cynicism. That's the sign of somebody who will say anything, do anything, pretend to be anybody, just to get elected. And you know what? If you're willing to be anybody just to be somebody, then you don't have the leadership that Florida needs in the United States’ Senate," Obama said before urging the crowd to vote for Rubio’s opponent, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy.

Murphy desperately needs the help of the president. About two dozen Florida polls show Rubio beating Murphy while Hillary Clinton is leading Trump.

Rubio, according to a recent Bendixen & Amandi International poll, is also tied with Murphy in Miami-Dade, Florida’s most-populous county that’s a stronghold for Democrats. If a Republican comes close to winning Miami-Dade, he generally wins statewide. Rubio’s side is also overpowering Murphy’s campaign on Florida’s TV airwaves.

Yet, despite Rubio's dominance over Murphy, a Quinnipiac University poll released this week found the U.S. Senate race too close to call. It found Murphy had closed a large gap and was only trailing Rubio by two percentage points.

One of Murphy’s biggest disadvantages is that he’s not as well-known as Rubio, who has drawn national attention since joining the Senate in 2011 and running for president.

Murphy was counting on the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Senate Majority super PAC to make good on their pledge to spend $20.8 million in TV ads for him. But Democrats withdrew more than $15 million in promised spending in Florida.

Rubio’s campaign responded with a thank you for the president.

“The Democrats cancel Murphy's funding and then 48 hours later, President Obama gives Marco's campaign a fundraising gift,” said Rubio adviser Alex Conant. “Obama's attacks will only energize Marco's supporters more.”

As Trump continues to struggle in Florida, Rubio has distanced himself from his one-time GOP White House rival. His top supporters say Rubio’s lead is no sure thing. And that’s where Obama comes in.

The president also criticized Rubio for backing away from comprehensive immigration reform in 2013 and for refusing to support legislation to fight carbon emissions linked to global warming.

“Unlike his opponent, Patrick actually believes in science and believes in the effects of climate change,” Obama said. “Just the other night in their debate, Marco Rubio did not accept that sea levels are rising, and if you're watching TV or you are going down some of the blocks here in Miami, in the middle of a sunny day and you see the ocean coming up through the streets, how can you deny what is right in front of you? I thought he was from Miami.”

