Marco Rubio may just be the most popular guy in Donald Trump's Cabinet right now. It's not just me saying that; the rest of the administration seems to think so, too.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles appeared on the "Pod Force Once" podcast with Miranda Devine on Wednesday, and she had what the New York Post called a "glowing endorsement" for the Secretary of State.
Wiles said she often sits in Cabinet meetings and marvels at the "energetic" team Trump has put together: "But I was sitting in a Cabinet meeting one day, and they do tend to go on a while , and so I was jotting down in my notebook the, you know, how I saw the Cabinet — and these numbers are wrong, but order of magnitude correct — five published authors, seven billionaires, 11 lawyers, a couple of minorities, a Democrat or two. It is an amazing group of people that he put together."
She singled out several people, but she seemed especially proud of Rubio. "Marco Rubio was born for this," she said, adding that he had "quickly assimilated... in his NSC position."
She's not the only person I've noticed praising the man who, once upon a time, wasn't all that beloved by Trump and his MAGA base.
In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said that "I never was very, let’s say, approving of Marco because he was kind of a neocon war hawk and now he’s had this incredible transformation." Today, the Health and Human Services secretary says he and Rubio are aligned on most things. He also pointed out that Rubio may be the funniest man in the Cabinet. "He says things that make people belly laugh every cabinet meeting," he told Carlson.
Related: The Boy Can't Help It: Rubio Returns To Capitol Hill and Kicks Some Butt
Vice President JD Vance told Fox News last month that Rubio was probably his "best friend in the administration" and said they hang out all the time (to be a fly on the wall for those conversations).
The president himself has even said he sees Rubio as the next potential leader of the MAGA movement. Back in May, when Trump appeared on "Meet the Press," host Kristen Welker asked him, "When you look to the future, Mr. President, do you think the MAGA movement can survive without you as its leader?"
"I think we have a tremendous group of people," the president responded. "We talked about a number of them. You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who's fantastic."
I always thought it was interesting that he mentioned Rubio first in that interview. But, as the Post points out, numerous polls show that Vance has a strong lead over Rubio, and, in some cases, even Ron DeSantis beats him when people are asked who they'd like to have as president in 2028.
Trump also gave the Secretary a nice compliment during the NATO Summit a couple of weeks ago. After Rubio fired off at the media, setting the record straight on whether or not Iran's nuclear capabilities had been set back significantly, the president said, "You know what Marco reminded me — he did such a nice job there — it was nine years ago I had to debate this guy. It was not easy. I think he even got better. But when you were into your little thing, I said this is what I had to debate this guy."
I'd also like to mention that anytime I write about Rubio — and I do often — I get a pretty big stream of feedback from y'all suggesting that he would make a great contender for 2028 for president or vice president for Vance. I see it on X, too.
Related: The Hardest Working Man in the Trump Administration
For what it's worth, earlier today, I was going through my own X/Twitter archives looking for something completely unrelated and realized I was pushing for a Rubio for president long before it was cool. I have receipts that go as far back as 2010.
Rubio/Martinez 2016. Anyone? Anyone?
— SarahDownSouth (@SarahDownSouth) November 7, 2012
Of course, a lot can change between now and then, and I hate when we get too ahead of ourselves in politics — it's like putting out Christmas decorations in stores in August — but there is no denying that Rubio is Trump and the GOP's star at the moment. He's won over the hearts and minds of much of Trump's base, and he knows how to work the swamp. He's great on domestic policy, and he's even better on foreign policy. With few exceptions, leaders around the world respect him and consider him a friend. They want to work with him. And assuming nothing changes, he'll have Trump's backing.
Unless he decides he wants to fade into the background or the private sector for personal reasons — and I don't see that happening anytime soon — there are only one or two more places for him to climb. And if that doesn't happen and Vance or DeSantis do take over the reins in 2028, I think it'd be smart for them to keep him on board in his current position should he want it.
But for now, let's set all of that talk aside and focus on the man we have in front of us right now — the man who isn't afraid to walk into Rubio's office and take his grandfather clock. If you missed this story from yesterday's cabinet meeting, I highly recommend watching the video. Trump had the whole room in stitches. I think even a CNN reporter laughed. And it's nice for everything not to be so serious and/or sketchy all the time.
🚨 LMAO! President Trump confiscated a good-looking clock from Marco Rubio and the whole room is cracking up
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 8, 2025
Marco wanted to keep it 🤣
"If I see anything I like, I'm allowed to take it. I'm in Marco's office, I see this gorgeous clock...I said 'Marco...' he didn't know about… pic.twitter.com/INmNEZ2P3O
Strong leadership doesn’t happen by accident, and the fake news rarely gives it the credit it deserves. At PJ Media, we highlight the decisions, diplomacy, and backbone that shape American strength at home and abroad. If you're tired of shallow takes and want deeper insight into the people making a difference, you've come to the right place.
Gain access to even more exclusive content and interact with our writers and other readers by becoming a PJ Media VIP member. Today, memberships are 60% off with the code word FIGHT. We can't wait for you to join us.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member