Marco Rubio says he is staying put. On Thursday, the secretary of state waved off news reports that he is preparing to leave Donald Trump’s administration, but he refused to engage on whether he will seek the presidency in 2028.
Marco Rubio denies exit reports but declines to discuss a presidential bid
Rubio told The New York Times that serving out Trump’s full term has “always been my plan.” The reports of an imminent exit baffled him. “I don’t know where these things come from, to be honest with you,” he said. He also joked about the rumors, pointing to his dual roles. Rubio is both secretary of state and Trump’s national security adviser. “I love the work I’m doing,” he said.
However, speaking in his White House office, Rubio would not say whether he is considering a run. He ended the line of questioning himself. “I literally will not talk about 2028 anymore,” he said. “I just won’t do it.”
His past comments offer one clue. Rubio told NBC News in May that he would back Vice President JD Vance if Vance seeks the presidency. “If JD runs for president, I think he’d be a phenomenal candidate,” he said.
After all, the interview came a day after Vance posted a lengthy analysis of the election results on X (formerly Twitter). He pinned Republican losses on the war with Iran and said voters had soured on the administration’s Israel policy and its economic messaging.
The post put some distance between Vance and Trump, who has tied himself closely to Israel and called affordability worries a “hoax.” Asked if he shared Vance’s view, Rubio first sidestepped, saying he was not “really involved in domestic politics.”
Moreover, Donald Trump pulled Marco Rubio onto the stage at a Sunday rally in Kansas and gave him effusive credit. The president joked that he might need to fire Rubio for being “too popular.” Rubio kept his remarks short and thanked Trump for protecting Americans. He said he attended as the national security official traveling with the president. He also conceded the war had hurt Republicans at the polls.
