NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Marco Rubio has conquered the online world.
The word most frequently associated with it is “hilarious.”
He has become a one-man meme, with endless fake images of him wearing different outfits to exaggerate his numerous jobs.
When a top government official goes so viral, it’s usually for doing something embarrassing.
WHAT RUBIO’S RISE AS AN INTERNET ‘FIXER’ TELLS US ABOUT CURRENT POLITICS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become the meme-worthy face of the second Trump administration. (Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images)
But here’s the difference: Rubio is in on the joke.
In fact, he has done everything he can to fan the flames of his cyber fame.
The secretary of state holds many positions, including national security adviser and, for a time, acting national archivist, acting head of the USAID program, and de facto ruler of Venezuela.
MARCO RUBIO’S VIRAL CLIP ON HIS VISION FOR AMERICA CAUSES MORE SPECULATION FOR 2028
First, he has a very good sense of humor.
Football coach, sailor, Viking, Eskimo, Canadian mounted policeman, armed bandit, astronaut, medieval disciple, dirt-covered plumber, all posted by users with funny captions.
And all of this comes as President Trump has been asking him for advice: JD or Marco?
It’s not like anyone has been thinking about 2028, right?
Vice President JD Vance appears to be Rubio’s only serious competitor for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Marco’s peak came when he briefed the press while filling in for Karoline Leavitt, who had just had a baby.
Rubio partly played dumb. He said he had a chart and some had red Xs next to their names, quickly admitting he made it up.
He called a reporter dressed in black and then told him, “you don’t have black, and you have blue,” even though he is “colorblind… This is chaos, guys… There’s no way to know who to call… You get two questions?… I’m improvising, guys… Let’s go to the front, these guys are going to be mad.”
The cleverest moments have been stitched together by online geeks to the point it looks like a Netflix comedy special.
He answered a question in Spanish. Maybe I should mention that Rubio would be the first Latino president.
RUBI’S TRUMP ADMINISTRATIVE BAD ATTITUDE GROWS AS LIST OF MEME-WORTHY FUNCTIONS BECOME A REALITY
“Rubio memes are the most charming thing to hit modern politics in decades,” says Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle. “The whole family can enjoy them, from your MAGA uncle to your #NeverTrump niece, from your ‘resistance liberator’ cousin to your ‘abundance brother’ brother. For one shining moment, we can all look 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 the Miami New Times.
But the secretary is also very disciplined, like when he spoke harshly about Iran. He rephrased the question of whether US firing on Iranian ships should be considered an act of war in reframing the situation.
“These guys closed 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 will keep the Strait closed forever. It’s not an act of war, it’s a defensive measure. Do you know what an act of war is? Putting mines in the water… This is crazy, but this is what they’ve done.”
MARCO RUBIO SEEN BEHIND THE DJ BOOTH AT A FAMILY WEDDING AS SOCIAL MEDIA REACTS TO THE VIRAL CLIP
But many analysts, not only in Tehran, consider the US attacks an act of war.
President Trump, backed by Rubio, was more negative, saying yesterday that 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, well, I’m going to get tired of this or I’m going to get bored, or I’m going to have some pressure. But there’s no pressure. There’s no pressure at all.”
Now Vance may not run (he and his wife are expecting another baby), but whether it’s Rubio or Vance, both would have to defend Trump’s record.
There’s a surge from Marco, and Rubio himself seems happy to ride the wave. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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 him if he planned to run. He said he wasn’t thinking about that, which we both knew was stupid.
During the campaign, I watched him work with the audience and thought this guy knew what to do behind the microphone. When a woman fainted, he stopped and made sure she got help before continuing.
What I do know is one thing: Once you run for president, you get the bug.
Vance, as vice president, is the clear favorite. Rubio has said he will not run if Vance does, and they have a friendly relationship. Trump wants Rubio to be second on the list.
SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF OF THE HOTTEST STORIES OF THE DAY
But there’s a rise in Marco, and he’s more than happy to ride that wave.
Oh, there’s one more thing. At a family event, Rubio was seen working the music board while people danced, what we used to call a roulette.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
A journalist asked about his nickname.
“You’re not ready for my DJ name,” he said with a big smile.
Now that’s a rocking Republican.