How Marco Rubio is riding laughter and memes to social media dominance

Marco Rubio has conquered the online world.

The word most frequently associated with him is "hilarious."

He’s become a one-man meme, with endless fake images of him wearing different outfits to exaggerate his many jobs.

When a top government official goes so utterly viral, it’s usually for doing something cringeworthy.

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But here’s the difference: Rubio is in on the joke.

In fact, he’s done everything he can to fan the flames of his cyberfame.

The secretary of state holds many jobs, including national security adviser, and, for a time, acting national archivist, acting head of the USAID program and de facto ruler of Venezuela.

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First, he has a really good sense of humor.

Football coach, sailor, Viking, Eskimo, Canadian mountie, armed bandit, astronaut, medieval disciple, grime-covered plumber – all posted by users with funny captions.

And all this comes as President Trump has been asking his advisers: JD or Marco?

Not that anyone’s been thinking about 2028, right?

Peak Marco came when he briefed the press while filling in for Karoline Leavitt, who just had a baby.

Rubio played dumb for some of it. He said he had a chart and some had red X’s next to their names, quickly admitting he made that up.

He called on one reporter in black, then said, "you don’t have black, and you have blue on," even though he’s "color blind… This is chaos, guys… There’s no way I can figure out who to call on… Do they get two questions?... I’m wingin’ it, guys… Let’s go to the front, these guys are gonna get mad."

The wittier moments have been strung together by online geeks to the point where it feels like a Netflix comedy special. 

He answered one question in Spanish. Perhaps I should mention that Rubio would be the first Latino president.

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"Rubio memes are the most delightful thing to hit modern politics in decades," says Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle. "The entire family can enjoy them, from your MAGA uncle to your #NeverTrump niece, from your ‘resistance lib’ cousin to your ‘abundance bro’ brother. For one shining moment, we can all glance at our phones and crack a whimsical smile together." 

"Rubio Memes Conquer the Internet," says Newsweek.

"Marco Rubio’s Meme-Worthy Rise to the Center of Trump’s Second Term," says Miami New Times.

But the secretary is also very disciplined, as when he was talking tough about Iran.  He finessed a question on whether the U.S. firing on Iranian ships should be deemed an act of war by reframing the situation.   

"These guys shut down the Strait of Hormuz… The only people who are allowed to go through there without paying 100% are the Iranians. If you do that, they’ll keep the Strait closed forever. It’s not an act of war, it’s a defensive measure. You know what is an act of war? Putting mines in the water… This is crazy stuff, but this is what they’ve done."

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But many analysts, not just in Tehran, do consider the American attacks an act of war.

President Trump, backed by Rubio, was more negative, saying yesterday the Iranian ceasefire "is on life support… If you can believe it, how stupid. Are they stupid people? They didn't want to believe it. They think that, well, I'll get tired of this or I'll get bored, or I'll have some pressure. But there's no pressure. There's no pressure at all." 

Now it’s possible that Vance may not run – he and his wife are expecting another baby – but whether it’s Rubio or Vance, they’d both be saddled with defending the Trump record.

It’s not that the former Florida senator is incapable of acting like a typical politician. I remember grabbing him in the hallway in the run-up to the 2016 campaign and asking if he planned to run. He said he wasn’t thinking about it, which we both knew was BS.

During the campaign, I watched him work an audience and thought this guy knows what to do behind the mic. When a woman fainted, he stopped and made sure she got help before continuing.

I do know one thing: once you run for president, you’ve been bitten by the bug.

Vance, as vice president, is the obvious front-runner. Rubio has said he won’t run if Vance does, and they have a friendly relationship. Trump wants Rubio to be second on the ticket.

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But there’s a Marco surge going on, and he is more than happy to ride that wave.

Oh, there’s one more thing. At a family event, Rubio was seen working the music board as people danced – what we used to call a spinner. 

A reporter asked about his moniker.

"You’re not ready for my DJ name," he said with a big grin.

Now that’s a rock ’n’ roll Republican.