Marco Rubio: Orlando Shooting Sign from God I’m Needed in Senate-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Florida Senator Marco Rubio said that the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando that left 50 people dead was a signal from God that “He needs me back in the Senate.”
The Truth:
This fake Marco Rubio quote came from a fake news website.
A story published by Newslo on June 14th under the headline, “Rubio: ‘God Killed Those Gays in Orlando to Signal He Needs Me Back in the Senate,” begins:
The terrorist attack at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub has “impacted” the thinking of Marco Rubio “about a lot of things,” the Florida senator said Monday, including making him “think a little bit about your service to your country and where you can be most useful to your country.” During an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Monday morning, the conservative radio host urged the former Republican presidential candidate to change his mind and seek re-election for his Senate seat.
“This is indeed a time to reflect,” Rubio told Hewitt. “This is a time to reflect on our past, on what we have done to cause this tragedy, how to remedy it for the sake of the future, and most importantly, how to address the consequences of this terrible attack. Because, despite of what we might think, we have a lot to do with this, every single one of us. Especially the Democrats.”
The story was quickly shared more than 33,000 times on Facebook, and many readers were duped into believing that it was true. One person commented on the story:
OMG…I seriously considered as a possible candidate, but now he’s said all these stupid things, I would never ever vote for him. Are all politicians IDIOTS??
However, Newslo is a hybrid news-satire website that lets readers toggle between tidbits of fact and fiction in its story.
Rubio’s quote that the Orlando nightclub massacre was a sign from God that he should return to the Senate was fiction. The truthful part was an exchange between Rubio and radio host Hugh Hewitt in which Rubio said that tragedies like the Orlando shooting make one rethink service to their country and how they can be most useful.