Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio explained “national security is the most important obligation of the federal government and if you are going to be presidential candidate, you need to take it seriously and I think that is important.”
Rubio, in an interview with CNN’s Jeff Zeleny on Friday, argued that “of course” you need to know the difference between Hezbollah and Hamas and on the topic of national security if one doesn’t have an “understanding” it would be “very concerning.” (RELATED: Donald Trump Has No Idea Who America’s Greatest Enemies Are, But Carly Fiorina Does)
Jeff Zeleny: Should presidential candidates know the difference between Hezbollah and Hamas?
Marco Rubio: Yeah of course. I mean, they’re different groups, in many respects kind of the same aim. Obviously, Hamas is a Palestinian group that is operating primarily now from the Gaza region and involved. Hezbollah is an agent of Iran, a Shia group which is an agent of Iran and is operating on their behest. In fact they’re involved in Syria. They are on the ground now. They have basically become a de facto wing of the Syrian army and Assad defense forces. So it is important to know the differences. You don’t have to memorize the names of all the leaders, but you do need to know these groups, because they are part of these very complicated national security threats that we face.
Zeleny: So that’s not a gotcha question in your mind?
Rubio: No, national security is the most important obligation of the federal government, and if you are going to be presidential candidate, you need to take it seriously, and I think that’s important.
Zeleny: Is Donald Trump not taking this seriously enough, and should that answer be disqualifying?
Rubio: I think if you don’t know the answers to those questions, you’re not going to be able to serve as commander in chief. Now, as I have said before, people can learn about these issues if they take the time to do it. The middle of the campaign is probably not the ideal time to get caught up. It should be part of the reason why you are running, because you understand the threats that the world is facing, you have deep understanding, and you have a understanding of what to do about them, and if someone doesn’t, I think that’s very concerning.
WATCH: