DAN GAINOR: From secretary of state to secretary of memes, Rubio wins over MAGA
The social media star of the Trump administration is naturally President Donald Trump. What’s surprising is the one who comes in second place — Secretary of State Marco Rubio. You can hardly visit an online platform without seeing our new secretary of memes, even more often than the memeworthy vice president. It will probably happen even more now that he is fresh off a major speech to the Munich Security Conference that Politico called part of "America’s charm offensive."
Rubio has become such a social media celebrity that Trump bought into the fun. One Truth Social poster wrote that "Marco Rubio will be president of Cuba." Trump responded, "Sounds good to me!" That set in motion a regional freakout as Cuba’s communist government gets increasingly worried it will go the way of Venezuela.
But the No. 1 way Rubio is making his mark is with what is known as the "Marco Rubio realizing" meme, where a picture of Rubio sitting on a couch is doctored with him wearing every costume imaginable as he takes on even more roles for the administration. His list of potential jobs is seemingly endless — president of Venezuela, the ayatollah of Iran, even the new food pyramid. Following Trump’s post about the Obamas, another poster had Rubio realizing he was taking over the president’s social media accounts.
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"Marco Rubio after being told he has to run Greenland now," has him decked out in a furry, hooded parka and mittens, like the clothes worn in "The Empire Strikes Back" from "Star Wars." Another has him dressed like Frodo Baggins from "The Lord of the Rings" with the caption, "Rubio realizing that only he can destroy the ring of power."
Rubio memes were flying fast and furious across the internet in time for the Super Bowl. Rubio dressed as a U.S. Olympic skier in response to the whines from the ski team. "Marco Rubio realizes he needs to replace the entire US Olympic ski team because they’ve been seditious overseas." Another had him dressed as a one-man band to perform the half-time show to replace lefty weirdo Bad Bunny.
Rubio is clearly living his best life and enjoying the meme-ish notoriety. At one point, he responded to one of the sports memes like this: "I do not normally respond to online rumors but feel the need to do so at this moment I will not be a candidate for the currently vacant HC and GM positions with the Miami Dolphins."
That’s downright Trumpian in his sense of humor.
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As with many things on social media, there’s a method to the madness. At one point, Rubio held four different jobs under the Trump administration — secretary of state, national security advisor, head of the National Archives and interim head of USAID. To underscore that point, the Miami Herald ran this headline in August: "Marco Rubio hands off one of his four jobs in Trump administration."
In early January, new "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil did a piece about the rise of Rubionic memes. "Only in America: the many lives and many jobs of Marco Rubio." As Dokoupil explained, "now AI memes have added to that portfolio, casting Secretary Rubio as the new governor of Minnesota, the new Shah of Iran, the prime minister of Greenland and the new manager of Manchester United." The chyron called it "Marco Rubio’s ‘Moment.’"
Newsweek declared, "Marco Rubio Memes Conquer the internet." Counting him virtually in charge of at least three enemies of the U.S. — Iran, Venezuela and Cuba — throw in Greenland, Minnesota and maybe they are right.
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But Rubio might be conquering far more than many realize. He might also have won over MAGA conservatives to his side. It wasn’t long after Trump’s re-election in November 2024 that the press was reporting on opposition among the base voters. Politico declared, "Rubio news triggers MAGA backlash." And the Hill went a similar route, claiming, "Trump’s Rubio pick divides Republicans."
That no longer seems the case. Rubio has earned his many jobs because he’s been a reliable and successful proponent for America First. Voters might have been skeptical, but many now share the memes both for fun and because they’d be comfortable with the secretary of state taking on almost any job.
Dokoupil said, "These memes might not add up to much." That could prove incorrect. The 2028 election still seems decades away, but Rubio’s popularity might signal conservative voter support for him to at least have one more job — a spot on the ticket, perhaps with his meme popularity partner Vice President JD Vance.
No matter what, Rubio won’t ever sit on a couch without someone declaring it a seat of power.