Secretary of State Marco Rubio is planning on stepping down from President Donald Trump's Cabinet in the wake of the GOP's midterm election shellacking to prepare his own bid for the White House, according to a report by David Maddox and Andrew Feinberg at The Independent.
Rubio, 55, served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010. He previously ran for president in 2016, losing to Trump in the GOP primary. When Trump was re-elected in 2024, he tapped Rubio to serve as Secretary of State.
Rubio resigned from the Senate, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) appointed then-Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) to take his seat. Moody just won re-election to finish Rubio's term and will be on the ballot again in 2028.
Rubio "is reportedly preparing to resign from Donald Trump's cabinet to launch a bid for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination," reported the Independent, citing "sources in Washington and the UK government" who pointed to the "disastrous midterm election results for Republicans," losing control of both the U.S. House and Senate and saw numerous previously deep-red states, like Texas, flip blue.
According to Maddox and Feinberg's reporting, the sources said the motivation for the planned resignation was that Rubio "needs to distance himself from controversial policies, including the war in Iran, to improve his prospects against key rival, Vice President JD Vance."
Both the White House and State Department "strongly denied the reports, dismissing allegations of an impending departure as baseless," the report stated, but Rubio's presidential ambitions have been a topic of discussion among political observers for years — as have Vance's — and this move would not be unexpected.
A veteran Florida Republican strategist told Mediaite the Sunshine State's rumor mill expected Rubio to run and to make an early move, saying "the war drums are beating about this."
Another Republican who previously worked with Rubio told Mediaite, "I read it [the Independent's report] this morning, and whether it's true or not, I'm not sure, but this is his moment to move and get into the race early — make his move before any of the other Republicans decide to jump into the race."
That same source viewed Rubio as a likely frontrunner because "he's incredibly intelligent" and "so articulate and knows pretty much every subject matter, whether it be economic or foreign policy."
"I think he would be a phenomenal candidate," the Republican added.
This article has been updated with additional information.
The post Marco Rubio 'Preparing to Resign' Ahead of a 2028 Bid, Report Says — White House Vehemently Denies first appeared on Mediaite.
English (US) ·