The Rubio era: how the US Secretary of State became a key figure in the Trump administration
As noted in the BBC article, a few years ago, Rubio was one of Trump's harshest critics within the Republican Party. However, after Trump's return to the White House, he managed to adapt to the new political reality, strengthen the president's trust and use it to implement his own vision of US foreign policy.
The culmination of his growing influence was the US operation in Venezuela in early January. According to the US media, Rubio was the key initiator of the process that led to the short-term military intervention and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. Donald Trump has instructed the Secretary of State to lead the work on further managing the situation in the country, a task that could become one of the most difficult in Rubio's career.
In May 2025, Trump also appointed Rubio as National Security Advisor, effectively concentrating several key areas in his hands at once - from diplomacy to security issues. Only Henry Kissinger had previously held such a set of positions. The media then dubbed Rubio the "Minister of Everything".
The strengthening of his position is explained not only by his closeness to the president, but also by his ability to act cautiously and not enter into a direct confrontation with Trump. American observers note that Rubio has become influential precisely because he does not demonstrate his own ambitions in public, focusing on the practical implementation of the presidential line.
Marco Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants, a Florida politician who has built his career on a strong anti-Communist stance and Latin American issues for years. He has consistently spoken out against the regimes in Cuba and Venezuela, supported opposition forces and called for forceful pressure on the region's authoritarian governments.
At the same time, his political evolution was accompanied by serious compromises. While Rubio used to criticise Trump and call him dangerous to democracy, he now openly states that his task is to implement the US president's foreign policy without reservations. This has caused disappointment among some Democrats and former allies who expected him to be a deterrent to Trump.
Despite the criticism, Rubio's influence continues to grow. After the previous national security adviser was ousted, he became the first person in a decade to combine the post with the secretary of state. Trump himself has publicly praised him, saying that Rubio is able to «solve problems» when they arise.
In Washington, Marco Rubio is increasingly being named as a potential Republican presidential candidate in the 2028 elections. The politician himself has publicly denied such plans, but experts say that his time in the Trump administration could be crucial for his future political ambitions.
