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Marco Rubio is enjoying his best political moment in the second Trump administration and is solidifying his position as the main rival of Vice President JD Vance in the race for the 2028 Republican nomination, according to analysis published by CNBC this Wednesday.
The trigger was her performance on Tuesday in the White House press room, where she replaced spokesperson Karoline Leavitt —who is on maternity leave— for nearly an hour and deftly handled questions about the war with Iran, fuel prices, and Cuba, alternating between English and Spanish.
The performance made the hashtag #Rubio2028 trend on X.
The contrast with Vance could not have been more striking. While Rubio was shining in Washington, the vice president was in Iowa supporting Republican Congressman Zach Nunn, and a video of him getting lost in the pages of his speech and forgetting the name of Nunn's opponent circulated widely on social media.
Sarah Longwell, editor of The Bulwark and host of weekly focus groups with Republican voters, published in The Atlantic that an increasing number of participants are leaning towards the Secretary of State.
"Although Vance may seem a more natural MAGA heir, many Trump voters see Rubio as a stabilizing force who comes off much better than many of his peers within the administration, including the vice president," Longwell wrote.
The Republican representative from Florida, Carlos Giménez, also joined in the praise: "Marco Rubio is showing the nation and the world what we have known about him for decades. He is one of the most eloquent, articulate, and incredibly capable statesmen of our times."
In the straw poll of the CPAC in March 2026, Vance led with 53%, while Rubio climbed to 35%, with no other candidate surpassing 2%.
A Gallup survey from December 2025 already placed Rubio with a 41% approval rating, outperforming Trump (36%) and Vance, making him the only cabinet member among the country's highest-rated politicians.
This Wednesday, a day after his performance at the press conference, the official account of the State Department posted a clip with a campaign video aesthetic that mixed images of Rubio, Trump, and Ronald Reagan.
The White House's own account reposted its response about hope in America: "We want it to continue to be the place where anyone, from anywhere, can achieve anything. Where you are not limited by the circumstances of your birth, by the color of your skin, by your ethnicity."
In March, Republican donors from the establishment began privately promoting his candidacy for 2028, and prediction markets turned him into the frontrunner that same month.
Trump, for his part, publicly praised Rubio in March stating that "he will be remembered as the best Secretary of State in the history of the country."
This Thursday, Rubio travels to the Vatican to meet with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace, marking the first known meeting between a member of the Trump administration and the pontiff in almost a year.
The visit arrives at a time of maximum tension: Trump has repeatedly attacked the pope, accusing him of "putting many Catholics at risk" due to his stance on Iran and nuclear weapons.
Among the anticipated topics is Cuba. Rubio stated on Tuesday that the U.S. has already distributed six million dollars in humanitarian aid to the island through the Church and added, "We are willing to provide more humanitarian assistance to Cuba, distributed through the Church."
Ron DeSantis, the other Republican contender who is actively campaigning for 2028, barely reaches 8% in the polls. A former advisor of his bluntly summarized the situation: "It's JD's race to lose right now. That said, there are a million news cycles between today and a primary, and anything can happen."
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