Rubio slams journalist who said Trump has radicalized more people than ISIS

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) attacked a GQ columnist Tuesday morning after the writer said on CNN that she agreed that a “silent majority” of President Trump’s supporters approve of or think racism is “OK.”

In a tweet, the senator pointed to the remarks from Atlantic and GQ contributor Julia Ioffe as evidence that “inflammatory rhetoric” comes from the mainstream media as well, and not just “from the right.”

He also highlighted another remark Ioffe made on CNN, for which she apologized, that Trump was responsible for “radicaliz[ing] so many more people than ISIS ever did.” 

“So many keep pretending inflammatory rhetoric comes only from the right,” Rubio wrote in a tweet. “But the same journalist (not a politician a “journalist”)who earlier in the day said Trump had radicalized more people than ISIS goes back on @CNN & says a majority of Trump supporters think racism is ok.”

So many keep pretending inflammatory rhetoric comes only from the right. But the same journalist (not a politician a “journalist”)who earlier in the day said Trump had radicalized more people than ISIS goes back on @CNN & says a majority of Trump supporters think racism is ok. https://t.co/EqYklWtSW7

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 30, 2018

Ioffe apologized late Monday, writing in a tweet that she had used “hyperbole” but adding that a rise in anti-Semitic attacks following Trump’s election was “not a coincidence.”

“I clarified and apologized on air, but I’ll say it again here. This has been a very emotional and painful time, but I absolutely should not have gone with such hyperbole on the air. I apologize,” she wrote.

“I will add, though, that it is not a coincidence that the number of anti-Semitic attacks has jumped nearly 60% in 2017—the biggest one-year increase in recent history—while this administration has systematically pulled back resources from countering domestic extremism,” she added.

I will add, though, that it is not a coincidence that the number of anti-Semitic attacks has jumped nearly 60% in 2017—the biggest one-year increase in recent history—while this administration has systematically pulled back resources from countering domestic extremism.

— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) October 29, 2018