Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) slammed President Obama on economic issues in the official Republican response to the State of the Union Tuesday, calling for a renewed focus on the “free enterprise economy.”
Rubio, speaking from the Speaker’s conference room in the Capitol, argued that less government regulation and lower taxes will help grow the economy.
Like Obama, Rubio sought to align his party with the middle class, using his family and his neighborhood to illustrate his and the GOP’s connection to middle-income households.
The speech was mostly delivered with force, but Rubio at times seemed nervous and cotton-mouthed, patting sweat off his temples a few times and awkwardly pausing to grab an off-camera bottle of water.
That sip caught fire on Twitter and television, and may be what the speech is remembered for.
"It definitely appeared Sen. Rubio was a bit nervous at times, getting dry mouth and finally taking a drink of water," Fox News host Bret Baier said shortly after the speech. Rubio himself took to Twitter to joke about the moment, tweeting a picture of the Poland Springs water bottle he'd taken a drink from.
For more on Rubio's response, click here.
