Following a Tampa Bay Times report from Friday, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) announced on Fox News’s The Five that he will be making an announcement on April 13. He did not confirm a location, although the Tampa Bay Times reported that he would do so at Freedom Tower. Freedom Tower is often known as the Ellis Island of the South because of its role in processing refugees from Fidel Castro’s Communist dictatorship in Cuba. The location would make sense because Rubio has often spoken about his Cuban heritage and how America’s free market economy gave his family a chance and allowed him to succeed.
Rubio also did not announce what he would be announcing. The Tampa Bay Times said that he would use the location to most likely announce a presidential run. However, Rubio attempted to slow down those reports on The Five, saying he would be making an announcement about either “running for president or the U.S. Senate.” Co-host Dana Perino asked if he would be running for president, but he responded by telling viewers to go to his website. His website, MarcoRubio.Com, has been re-branded for the announcement. It says that Rubio will be making an announcement on April 13 and that people can get tickets by donating $3.05. MarcoRubio.com used to be a homepage that would redirect people to either his PAC or his Senate campaign site.
Rubio has left open the possibility that he will merely announce a re-election bid for the Senate. Politicians regularly hold high-profile news conferences in order to say they will not be running for President. In 2012, Herman Cain used the grand opening of his national campaign office to announce that he was suspending his bid for the Presidency.