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Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Dec 21, 2020
Marco Rubio’s Chatham House speech received applause; but can he convince fellow Republicans?
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US Senator Marco Rubio sparked a backlash after claiming “people are tired of being told they have to stay home” when he has already received a Covid vaccine.
The Republican representative from Florida shared a photo of himself being vaccinated on Saturday.
The next day he tweeted that the public were fed up of being instructed to remain at home, and not being able to work or open their businesses, “by people who break their own rules and haven’t missed a paycheck.”
Social media users were angry that he was vaccinated ahead of frontline workers and also pointed out the high death toll in his home state and across the US.
Some also claimed more economic support for workers and small-businesses was needed to enable people to safely stay at home.
In response to Rubio’s latest tweet, Juan Escalante accused him of “shrugging off 300,000 deaths” after the senator has himself been given a vaccine.
This is coming from the same @marcorubio who has been vaccinated against #COVID19. He’s shrugging off 300,000 deat… https://t.co/7ftGe8uV2G— Juan Escalante (@Juan Escalante) 1608480432
Others on the platform agreed.
Easy thing for a guy who got a vaccine to say https://t.co/uCDg6Bs8ob— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1608511244
Easy to say something like this when you get to cut in line in front of millions of people to receive the vaccine.… https://t.co/rKqZ3nZzKT— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1608481339
@marcorubio Marco got the vaccine before healthcare workers and at risk Americans. #Hypocrite https://t.co/2bcxkCCjq2— Debbie Russell (@Debbie Russell) 1608475653
More than 20,000 people in Florida have died as a result of coronavirus this year and the national death toll has now passed 300,000.
tell this to over 20,000 Floridians who have lost a loved one https://t.co/0BYrPchRcF— Jennifer 'pro-voting' Rubin (@Jennifer 'pro-voting' Rubin) 1608511811
Yes and also many people are tired of being dead https://t.co/I3ZlkzAg9n— Jason Isbell (@Jason Isbell) 1608486193
Actor Patricia Arquette also replied to the senator asking for financial support for people to quarantine.
@marcorubio Give people money so they can quarantine safely until enough people get the vaccine. Otherwise the gove… https://t.co/eDy6NZc27z— Patricia Arquette (@Patricia Arquette) 1608485726
Representative Anna Eskamani, who was re-elected to serve the Florida House District 47 this year, shared a similar sentiment.
@marcorubio People are tired of politicians like you who get ahead of the line for the COVID19 vaccine while you dr… https://t.co/hO7H3R20DK— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨) 1608478742
Rubio did not respond to any of the replies to his tweet.