While Rubio has publicly deferred to Vice President J.D. Vance regarding the 2028 presidential race, President Trump has repeatedly praised Rubio’s performance in recent months. Rubio has emerged as one of Trump’s closest advisers, playing a central role in U.S. policy toward Venezuela following the U.S. operation that resulted in the capture of its leader, Nicolás Maduro, and in diplomatic engagement with Cuba. Rubio is the first official from the administration to take over for Leavitt Rubio has also taken part in discussions involving officials from Ukraine and Russia as part of efforts to resolve that conflict.
While filling in for @PressSec, @marcorubio answers a powerful question: "What is your hope for America at a time such as this?"
— Isabel Brown (@theisabelb) May 5, 2026
His answer blew me away. pic.twitter.com/ahE3neoHTJ
🚨 NOW: Sec. Marco Rubio just WALKED OUT to fill in as Press Secretary for Karoline Leavitt at the White House, while she's out on maternity leave
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 5, 2026
The comedic way he opened the door 😭
Marco wears many hats, he can do anything — that's why we love him! 🤣
"I'll be filling in… pic.twitter.com/CrfezMLSow
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) May 5, 2026
However, given that Rubio and Vice President Vance are regarded as the leading GOP presidential contenders for 2028, it was necessary to consider the political implications of his performance, The Hill reported.
“This is chaos, guys,” Rubio joked at one point as he tried to wrangle journalists’ shouted questions in the packed briefing room. “Welcome to the White House,” someone yelled back in response.
While Rubio has publicly deferred to Vice President J.D. Vance regarding the 2028 presidential race, President Trump has repeatedly praised Rubio’s performance in recent months. Rubio has emerged as one of Trump’s closest advisers, playing a central role in U.S. policy toward Venezuela following the U.S. operation that resulted in the capture of its leader, Nicolás Maduro, and in diplomatic engagement with Cuba.Rubio is the first official from the administration to take over for Leavitt
Rubio has also taken part in discussions involving officials from Ukraine and Russia as part of efforts to resolve that conflict.Rubio engaged with reporters with a smile, calling on members of the press by the color of their clothing and singling out an Italian journalist he recognized
During Tuesday’s briefing, Rubio fielded questions for more than 50 minutes, focusing largely on foreign policy issues including the Iran conflict, Trump’s planned trip to China, his upcoming meeting with the Vatican, and U.S. policy toward Latin America, particularly Venezuela and Cuba.
Trump has said Rubio is “totally involved” in negotiations with Iran, even as he has limited Rubio’s direct participation in some meetings with Iranian officials
LindellTV is produced by Mike Lindell and Steve Bannon. “No they’re not mean. I don’t think they are, I hope not,” she responded.The State Department has not held an on-camera briefing since August, though Rubio has taken questions from reporters in other settings. He last briefed State Department reporters in December, answering questions from across the press corps and continuing to engage with the traveling pool. May 1 marked Rubio’s first anniversary as national security adviser, making him the first person to hold both that role and secretary of state simultaneously since Henry Kissinger during the Richard Nixon administration.
On Iran, Rubio echoed Trump’s earlier claim that the War Powers Act is “unconstitutional.” The Vietnam-era law requires presidents to seek congressional approval within 60 days of initiating military operations, but nearly all presidents since the law was passed in 1973 have considered it an unlawful infringement on their roles as commander-in-chief.
