Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) made headlines after his fierce battle with then-rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump, in 2016. Eight years later, Rubio is perfectly positioned to be Trump’s running mate.
Rubio has been a staunch and close supporter of Trump since he took office in 2017, and has consistently defended him against criticism from Democrats and the various legal challenges he has faced. Rubio has reportedly been high on the list of candidates Trump was considering, although he said he had not heard directly from Trump about the possibility.
Strategists said Rubio’s background, legislative experience and statesmanship skills make him a strong candidate to broaden the appeal of the slate of candidates.
“I think he’s the candidate the Biden campaign is most afraid of,” said Justin Safi, a Florida-based Republican strategist. “Of all the people President Trump could potentially pick as a running mate, I think the Biden campaign probably doesn’t want to see Marco Rubio on the list.”
At 53, Rubio is one of the youngest on Trump’s shortlist. He served in the Florida House of Representatives for nearly a decade before being first elected to the Senate in 2010 with the support of the Republican Tea Party. He was seen as a rising star in the party and a possible future face of the Republican Party ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Rubio, who was still in his mid-40s at the time, was expected to gain support from racial minorities as a Latino with excellent speaking skills and Cuban parents. However, although he won several states, he was unable to catch up with Trump in the primaries and withdrew immediately after Super Tuesday.
During the campaign, attacks between Trump and Rubio sometimes got personal, with Trump calling Rubio “Little Marco” and Rubio calling Trump a “con man,” but Rubio supported Trump as the Republican candidate and has remained consistent ever since.
One former Rubio aide said those awkward exchanges happened some time ago, and noted that Rubio had worked with the Trump administration on a variety of “substantive” issues, including the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also worked with Trump on foreign policy.
“During the Trump administration, the joke was that Marco’s side job was as the State Department’s Western Hemisphere coordinator,” the former aide said.
“He’s a very effective communicator, he gets the message across and he’s well-liked by President Trump. And of course we think that would be very helpful in winning the Hispanic vote and it could be decisive,” they said.
NBC report Trump announced in March that Rubio was high on his list of candidates, according to people familiar with the selection process.
Rubio responded to the report by saying he had not discussed the possibility with anyone in Trump’s circle, but “I think whoever accepts the offer should be respected.”
More recently, Rubio was part of a group of Republicans rumored to be on Trump’s short list, visiting him at a private luncheon at Mar-a-Lago in what was thought to be an audition for the vice presidential spot. Others who may have been considered to attend included Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R-North Dakota).
And Rubio was one of the few candidates to appear on political talk shows to defend Trump while he was busy with his trial in New York.
Rubio’s office declined to be interviewed for this story.
Republican strategist Jason Cabell Law said Rubio has a “compelling” personal record and knows how to communicate well.
“He is well respected on Capitol Hill and could be able to effectively push his policies through Congress if Trump wins,” he said.
Rubio’s parents fled Cuba in the late 1950s during the rule of military dictator Fulgencio Batista, several years before the Cuban Revolution brought Fidel Castro to power. His biography on the Senate website reads: Note He says he became interested in running for public office because of his grandfather, who was still in the country at the time of the revolution.
According to the biography, Rubio’s father worked primarily as a bartender, while his mother supported the family by working as a hotel maid and, for short periods, as a factory worker.
“He has the quintessential American story of being born to immigrants and rising to the most powerful position in our government,” Safi said.
One hurdle Trump would have to overcome if he chooses Rubio is the constitutional restriction that bars presidential and vice presidential candidates from living in the same state. Because the 12th Amendment prohibits an elector from voting for two people from the same state, if Rubio were selected, at least one of them would have to change their residency to be eligible to vote in Florida.
This is a relatively recent occurrence, occurring in 2000 when Dick Cheney reregistered from Texas to Wyoming to be Texas Governor George W. Bush’s running mate.
Ford O’Connell, a Florida-based Republican strategist, said Trump likely wouldn’t gamble in a closely decided race without a clear way to meet constitutional requirements, but “if there’s a reasonable workaround that works for both sides, he’d certainly be the nominee.”
He said Rubio was apparently interested in the post, noting that in an interview last month on “Meet the Press,” he had been sparring with Kristen Welker over accepting the results of the 2024 election.
“It wasn’t that long ago that Marco Rubio was considered the future of the Republican Party, so he has a powerful fundraising network,” O’Connell said, comparing the power of his own fundraising network to that of Burgum’s vast personal fortune.
And from an electoral standpoint, Rubio may fit the profile Trump needs to get past the 270-vote threshold. If elected, Rubio would be the first Latino to serve on a major party’s nominee.
Hispanics and Latinos are a key constituency in battleground states such as Arizona and Nevada, and Trump has sought to reach out to these voters to at least further bridge the gap that President Biden and other Democrats have long held with them.
O’Connell said Rubio was the only candidate even considered in 2016.
He added that a Republican-favorable election would likely result in a closely divided Senate, and the vice president’s role as Senate president would likely require someone with senator experience, especially with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) due to retire soon.
Analysts agree that even though Rubio and several other candidates have avoided direct answers about the possibility of taking the job, the race for the next presidential election is on and Rubio is in it.
“The first thing about ‘Fight Club’ is don’t talk about Fight Club,” O’Connell said, referring to the popular film. “We haven’t decided who’s going to be in it yet, but we all know we’re auditioning.”
