Top Trump Official on ‘Resignation Watch’ After Blue Tsunami Humiliation
One of the president’s most loyal soldiers is reportedly seeking an early start on his 2028 aspirations.
Nathan Howard/REUTERS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on “resignation watch” after he and President Donald Trump were humiliated by this week’s blue wave, a new report alleges.
Insiders tell The Independent that Rubio, 55, will soon be “running for the hills” to distance himself from Trump as he positions himself as a 2028 presidential candidate, though the timeline for the former Florida senator’s possible resignation is unclear.
“Rubio will be gone after the midterms,” a Republican source told the paper. “There will be about four or five them running for the hills. The country has completely turned against Trump. People cannot even say where Iran is on a map and do not get this war.”
Marco Rubio has been one of Donald Trump’s most loyal soldiers in MAGA 2.0, but insiders believe he needs to distance himself from the increasingly unpopular president if he hopes to win in 2028.
Kevin Lamarque/Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS
Another insider tells The Independent that Rubio will have to pin the war on others in the Trump sphere to have a realistic chance in two years.
“It makes complete sense for him to step down and leave the administration,” a Rubio ally tells the paper. “Rubio is the leading candidate at the moment to be the [Republican] nominee. He’s definitely ahead of [Vice President JD] Vance. But he cannot run while he is still secretary of state, and being tied to the administration will only harm his prospects anyway.”
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The State Department has rejected the story.
“The Independent story is fake news and not worth the paper it’s written on. Secretary Rubio is focused on advancing President Trump’s agenda and delivering for the American people,” Edgar Vasquez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Press, said.
In a second statement emailed to the Beast, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said, “This is complete and total fake news based on the word of anonymous sources, befitting a tabloid. The Secretary has not discussed leaving his role, and he will continue to proudly serve in President Trump’s administration long after this fake news is revealed as yet another baseless hoax.”
Rubio has long been viewed as a top name to potentially succeed Trump. Prediction markets list him behind Vance as the second-favorite to be the Republican Party’s nominee in 2028. In third and rising is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is termed out in January. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and the primaried Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie rank fourth and fifth.
The early Republican favorites to win the GOP’s presidential nomination in 2028.
Kalshi
Vance and DeSantis have since blamed the war with Iran for the Republican wipeout on Election Day, a not-so-subtle way of distancing themselves from the mess with sights on 2028. Rubio has yet to publicly blame the war for the Election Day humiliation, but he has generally kept a lower profile on social media throughout MAGA 2.0.
The Independent reports that not all of its sources believe Rubio will soon call it quits. A Florida insider tells the paper that the Miami-born politician, who is the son of Cuban migrants, may hold off from doing so if it means he can oversee the fall of the communist government in Cuba.
At least publicly, Rubio has shot down any indication he is already eyeing a second presidential run.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I have no plans at this time,” he said in September when asked about 2028. “I’m 100 percent focused on my jobs.”
The self-obsessed Trump has stopped short of throwing his support behind a potential successor, but has hinted that he is a fan of both Rubio and Vance, saying he may even like to see them on a ticket together.
Trump asked a White House crowd in May, “Who’s it going to be? Is it gonna be JD? Is it gonna be somebody else? I don’t know... Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?”
He continued, “By the way, I do believe that’s a dream team, but these are minor details. That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance.”
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