Marco Rubio heads to the Vatican as 2028 presidential buzz ramps up

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on a hot streak as he heads to a critical meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday to ease tensions.

He might not have had a useful answer then. DJ asked your namebut Rubio was otherwise calm, cool and collected at the White House press conference. Stand-in appearance on Tuesday This led to #Rubio2028 trending on X.

It was a good day for Rubio. Despite President Donald Trump’s weakening approval rating and the ongoing war with Iran that has sent gas prices soaring, Rubio has emerged as a rising star and appears to be distinguishing himself from another vice presidential hopeful for 2028, J.D. Vance.

“Rubio is happy as a pig in this White House briefing. Watch out.” [Vice President] @JDVance, Marco wants the best job and is coming to get your (highly unpopular) ass,” Tommy VietorRubio, a co-host of “Pod Save America” ​​and a former spokesman for President Barack Obama, wrote about X while holding the hearing at the podium in the White House briefing room.

On Wednesday, Rubio shared a post on his own account: official Ministry of Foreign Affairs X account A clip — not a campaign video, but in a single video appearance — featuring photos of herself, Trump, and President Ronald Reagan. Rubio’s cocky response to a question about his hope for America at Tuesday’s briefing had an impact on the montage.

In the one-minute clip, Rubio says, as music swells in the background: “My hope for America is the same as it’s always been. I think it’s a hope we all share. We want America to continue to be a place where anyone, anywhere, can achieve anything. A place where you’re not limited by the circumstances of your birth, the color of your skin, your ethnicity. But frankly, it’s a place where you can overcome challenges and unlock your full potential.” says Rubio.

The White House, from its official account, Posted a video of Rubio’s response to the question.

Rubio, who represented Florida in the Senate from 2011 to 2025 and made an unsuccessful bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, was appearing at a press briefing for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is on maternity leave and will be monitored by a rotating group of administration officials while she is out.

It was a seemingly effortless performance in which Trump, previously disparagingly referred to as critic, turned ally. “Little Marco” By a president who made a name for himself by wearing many hats in the second Trump administration. At various points during his tenure at the State Department, Rubio served as acting national security adviser, acting U.S. archivist, and was named “acting director” at the U.S. Agency for International Development, although the USAID leader’s title is “administrator.”

Rubio further showed off his range by DJing a family wedding over the weekend. Video shared with X. When asked by a reporter at the briefing what his DJ name was, Rubio replied: “My DJ name? You’re not ready for my DJ name.”

Rubio briefed for nearly an hour, cracking jokes, switching seamlessly to Spanish and deftly fielding questions from reporters about the war, gas prices and ongoing tensions with Cuba.

He bordered on embarrassment at times, evoking 1990s rap lyrics as he called Iranian leaders “the crazy one in their brains” (Cypress Hill) and told them to “control themselves before they destroy themselves” (Ice Cube). But overall, it summarized the Trump administration’s sometimes confusing messaging on the Iran war in a digestible way.

Although the president turned back from his attempt to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz just hours after Rubio announced it to the press, Rubio’s performance drew largely rave reviews on the political right.

“Marco Rubio is showing the nation and the world what we’ve known about him for decades! Rubio is one of the most eloquent, articulate and incredibly talented statesmen of our time. President Trump made an EXCELLENT choice with her. He proves it every day!” Florida Republican Representative Carlos Gimenez sent to x

Vance, meanwhile, was nearly 1,000 miles away, making his first stop since becoming vice president in Iowa.

His appearance in the Hawkeye State, where he traveled to support Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, who is locked in a tough re-election race, marked a departure from Rubio’s performance in Washington.

a clip Vance disappears between the pages After his speech, the name of Nunn’s challenger was forgotten and spread on social media.

Sarah Longwell, political expert and publisher of the conservative, anti-Trump news site The Bulwark, leads weekly focus groups that regularly ask Republicans who they want to take over the party in 2028.

He wrote in The Atlantic this week that members of those groups are increasingly voicing a preference for Rubio over Vance.

“While Vance seems like the more natural MAGA heir, many Trump voters see Rubio as a stabilizing force who has fared much better than many of his administration peers, including the vice president.” Longwell wrote.

Rubio is now heading to the Vatican to meet with the first US-born pope to criticize some of the Trump administration’s policies. Rubio and Vance are both Catholic. While Rubio was raised Catholic, Vance converted as an adult.

Trump repeatedly attacked Pope Leo on Monday on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, saying the Supreme Pontiff’s view on foreign policy “endangers a lot of Catholics.”

In the briefing, Rubio denied that the trip was an attempt to thaw the relationship.

“This was a trip we had planned before and obviously some things happened. There is a lot to talk about with the Vatican,” he told reporters.

Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify that Rubio is what the U.S. Agency for International Development calls an “acting administrator,” although the USAID leader’s title is “administrator.”