--- title: Rush Limbaugh Defends Rubio's Debate Comments About Obama description: Rush Limbaugh came to Marco Rubio's rescue Monday, saying his performance at Saturday's debate wasn't as bad as others are saying canonical: https://time.com/4212881/rush-limbaugh-marco-rubio-debate-obama/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-08T22:50:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:07.223Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rush Limbaugh Defends Rubio's Debate Comments About Obama og:description: "I don't know how big a faux pas this was for Rubio" og:url: https://time.com/4212881/rush-limbaugh-marco-rubio-debate-obama/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34162d61dfb73d25/69887c7d524fc00b5adf6a17/timepol-gop-republican-debate-new-hampshire-111.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2326 og:image:height: 1308 og:image:alt: News: Republican Debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rush Limbaugh Defends Rubio's Debate Comments About Obama twitter:description: "I don't know how big a faux pas this was for Rubio" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34162d61dfb73d25/69887c7d524fc00b5adf6a17/timepol-gop-republican-debate-new-hampshire-111.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rush Limbaugh Defends Rubio's Debate Comments About Obama > Sponsored content. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=4d400e58-37d8-4f81-8b6c-2b3905613eb2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: ABC GOP Debate: Watch Marco Rubio Repeat The Same Line Four Times [Watch (HLS stream): ABC GOP Debate: Watch Marco Rubio Repeat The Same Line Four Times](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xFpJY1xQ.m3u8) (0:47)  _Published 2016-02-07_ by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Feb 8, 2016 10:50 PM UTC by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Feb 8, 2016 10:50 PM UTC Rush Limbaugh came to Marco Rubio’s rescue Monday, saying his performance at Saturday’s debate wasn’t [as bad as others are saying](http://time.com/4211023/republican-debate-marco-rubio-chris-christie/). The conservative talk show host praised Rubio for [repeatedly insisting](http://time.com/4210991/marco-rubio-gop-debate-new-hampshire/) that President Barack Obama is purposely out to ruin the country. Rubio faced heavy criticism both during and after the debate from opponent New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the media for [repeating the same attack line four times](http://time.com/4210991/marco-rubio-gop-debate-new-hampshire/). “I don’t know how big a faux pas this was for Rubio,” Limbaugh said. “Clearly it was not a positive; clearly it was not his best. But I don’t think it ruined his chances and wiped him out like some in the media opined.” Limbaugh went on to say that Rubio’s comments may have come across entirely different to folks at home watching the debate than it did to the media. This could be seen as an indicator that Rubio’s chances of winning may be healthy going into the New Hampshire primary Tuesday. “Now, folks, you go out and talk to actual Republican primary voters,” Limbaugh said. “You go out, outside of Washington, outside New York, go out to where these primaries and caucuses are being held, and you will find that this is exactly what has propelled Republicans to the polls in droves in 2010 and 2014.” Rubio is looking to rebound from his debate performance with a strong showing in New Hampshire, where he is currently polling second in the state, [according to an average](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/nh/new%5Fhampshire%5Frepublican%5Fpresidential%5Fprimary-3350.html) compiled by RealClearPolitics. An avid football fan, Rubio [blitzed the state with a Super Bowl ad campaign](http://time.com/4212256/republicans-super-bowl-ads/). ## Transcript [00:00] And let's dispel once and for all with this fiction that [00:02] Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing. He [00:04] knows exactly what he's doing. Barak Obama is [00:07] undertaking a systematic effort to change this country. [00:10] Let's dispel with this fiction that Barack Obama doesnt [00:12] know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he's [00:15] doing. He is trying to change this country. He wants [00:18] America to become more like the rest of the world. [00:20] [ NOISE ] So those were the facts. Here's the bottom [00:22] line this notion of Barrack Obama doesn't know what [00:24] he's doing is just not- There it is. He know's exactly [00:26] what- There it is the memorized 25- second speech. [00:28] Cuz I think this notion, I think this is an important point. [00:32] We have to understand what we're going through here. [00:34] We are not facing a president that doesn't know what [00:36] he's doing, he knows what he is doing. That's why he [00:38] has done the things he's done. [ UNKNOWN ] That's [00:41] why we have a president that passed Obama Care, [00:43] and the stimulus, all this damage he's done to America [00:46] is deliberate. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4212881/rush-limbaugh-marco-rubio-debate-obama/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4212881/rush-limbaugh-marco-rubio-debate-obama/"},"headline":"Rush Limbaugh Defends Rubio's Debate Comments About Obama","datePublished":"2016-02-08T22:50:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:41:07.223Z","description":"\"I don't know how big a faux pas this was for Rubio\"","url":"https://time.com/4212881/rush-limbaugh-marco-rubio-debate-obama/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election","Sen. 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