麻豆社

As a Florida senator, Marco Rubio seemed to hold an opposing world view to Donald Trump; on Russia-Ukraine, on China, on USAID, and more. He notably called Trump a 鈥渃on man鈥�, and Trump in turn dubbed him, 鈥渓ittle Marco鈥�.

And yet now, as US Secretary of State, Rubio has made himself indispensable to the president on foreign affairs, bringing his own background to play in policy on Venezuela and Cuba, and shaping the US鈥� approach to further interventions abroad. Trump has even indicated that he wants Rubio to run on a joint ticket with JD Vance for the next US presidency.

How has Rubio tailored himself to Trump鈥檚 world view? And what difference would he bring as a potential presidential candidate? Tom Bateman, the 麻豆社鈥檚 State Department correspondent, regularly travels with Rubio, and he joins Asma on today鈥檚 show.

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Photo: Marco Rubio attends a Senate Appropriations subcommittee to testify about the proposed 2027 budget for the Department of State, June 3, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein.