Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been having a moment — the kind that makes people wonder if he might be a candidate for president sooner than later.
On Tuesday, he took over press secretary duties while Karoline Leavitt was on maternity leave and fielded questions for more than 45 minutes, happily trading rap lyrics with reporters along the way. On Wednesday, his staff clipped one of his exchanges into a campaign-style video over soaring music. On Thursday, he met Pope Leo in the Vatican, exchanging gifts and kind words even though the president and vice president have feuded with the world’s most prominent religious leader.
More broadly, his popularity among the MAGA faithful is rising, it seems, as President Donald Trump’s presumed successor, Vice President JD Vance, sees his fall (at least a bit). The betting markets are suddenly bullish on Rubio as a potential 2028 nominee.
It’s not surprising he’d get a moment in the sun; secretaries of state are often among the more popular and attention-getting Cabinet members historically. He wouldn’t be the first to see their stock rise while memes spread about their hard work around the globe. He’s been careful not to make too much of it, tamping down presidential speculation.
But the way Rubio has gone about his role also raises some pressing questions about the party’s long-term future. It’s starting to look like he might want a say in mapping out what a post-Trump GOP world looks like, one that perhaps steers away from a harsher, more nationalistic version of the MAGA party. Whether that’s possible 10 years into the Trump era is an open question.
