Politics

Exhausted Marco Rubio Loses One of His Many Job Titles

LIGHTENED LOAD

Trump still has the Secretary of State doing multiple other tasks.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. This is the first time Rubio has testified before Congress since the Trump administration attacked Venezuela and seized President Nicolas Maduro, bringing him to the United States to stand trial. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Marco Rubio finally has one less job to do in the Trump administration.

The beleaguered secretary of state is no longer the acting archivist of the United States. Rubio, 54, completed the one year he was constitutionally allowed to act as the interim archivist earlier this month.

President Trump, 79, foisted the gig onto Rubio after he canned the previous archivist, Colleen Shogan, last February. Trump shook up the archives after criticizing its role in the Justice Department’s investigation and prosecution of him over allegations that he mishandled classified documents after leaving office.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was ready to hold talks with Iran on Wednesday, but said any discussions would have to include its missiles.
Rubio finally reached the end of his constitutionally limited yearlong term as the interim archivist. Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images

The National Archives and Records Administration told CNN that James Byron, the president and CEO of the Richard Nixon Foundation, is the new interim archivist in addition to his duties as senior advisor to the archivist.

“Prior to the conclusion of his tenure, and to the extent permitted by law, Secretary Rubio delegated the authority to perform the functions of the Archivist to James Byron, who continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the Archivist,” said Matt Dummermuth, general counsel for the National Archives and Records Administration.

James Byron
James Byron will be taking over for Rubio. James Byron

Rubio, who Trump dubbed “Little Marco” on the 2016 campaign trail, has become a Swiss Army knife for Trump in his second term.

Rubio led the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) until August, helped oversee the United States’ abduction of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, and has been tasked with helping to run the transition of the Venezuelan government. In January, Trump gave Rubio another job, putting him in charge of America’s bid to host the 2035 World Expo. Rubio serves as the president’s national security adviser.

As the acting archivist, Rubio was in charge of preserving U.S. government records, including paper documents, photographs, maps, films, and computer records.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified that “no one knows” who would take over if Iran’s leader were removed during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 28, 2026.
Rubio and others in the Trump administration have joked about all of his different jobs. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

Rubio’s ever-expanding plate has become a running joke in the administration.

In January, Trump amplified a joke saying that Rubio should become the president of Cuba. On January 8, Rubio posted a joke saying that he would not take on the vacant head coach position for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance joked about Rubio’s busy schedule during a speech at the State Department.

“I figured I might as well do Marco a solid, since he’s also the archivist and the official White House florist and has a number of other jobs in addition to Secretary of State,” Vance said.