In the aftermath of a hard Republican night at the polls, a rumor took shape that Secretary of State Marco Rubio might step away from the Trump administration, the sort of whisper that gathers around any powerful figure when a political tide turns. Rubio met it with a laugh, pointing out that he already carries two jobs, secretary of state and national security adviser, and so the question of which one he might leave has no easy answer. The denials from the White House and State Department, and the anonymous voices behind the reports, leave the matter where such stories usually rest: unconfirm
Rubio Dismisses Reports He Will Leave Trump Administration After GOP Midterm Losses
"Which one?" — Rubio on the idea he'll leave his job
Mark
Why does a story built on anonymous sources get this much attention?
Mimi
Because of who Rubio is. He's secretary of state and national security adviser, so any hint he's leaving matters, especially right after the midterm losses.
Mark
What did he actually say?
Mimi
That he loves his work, and he joked about the idea of leaving his job by asking "Which one?"
Luke
The joke is a deflection, not a denial of specific claims. He said leaving isn't his plan, but he didn't address the claim that he'd talked to White House officials and been asked to stay.
Mark
The White House and State Department were blunter, though.
Mimi
Very. Dylan Johnson called it fake news befitting a tabloid, and Beni Rae Harmony called it a fabricated hoax.
Luke
Strong language, but it's a denial, not evidence. Neither side has shown documents. The report's sources are anonymous, and so are The Independent's.
Mark
What's the Independent's argument?
Mimi
Unnamed US party sources and UK government figures say he could quit, partly to distance himself from the Iran war, and because he can't run in 2028 while serving.
Luke
Note that one is an ally's reasoning about what would make sense, and one is a UK source saying they're watching. Those are predictions, not confirmation of a decision.
Mark
And 2028?
Mimi
He won't discuss it, and he's said he'd back JD Vance if Vance runs.
Der Puls
- A report that Rubio was weighing an exit after the midterm losses landed in Washington and set political tongues wagging.
- The story rests on anonymous sources, and the White House and State Department pushed back hard, calling it fabricated.
- Rubio parried the question with a joke about holding two jobs and said flatly that he loves the work he is doing.
- The 2028 race hangs over the rumor, yet Rubio refuses to discuss it and has signaled he would back JD Vance, leaving his next move unconfirmed.
In the aftermath of a hard Republican night at the polls, a rumor took shape that Secretary of State Marco Rubio might step away from the Trump administration, the sort of whisper that gathers around any powerful figure when a political tide turns. Rubio met it with a laugh, pointing out that he already carries two jobs, secretary of state and national security adviser, and so the question of which one he might leave has no easy answer. The denials from the White House and State Department, and the anonymous voices behind the reports, leave the matter where such stories usually rest: unconfirmed, with the future of a public servant's ambitions still unwritten.
Asked whether he was about to walk away from the Trump administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio answered with a joke about his workload. "I love the work I'm doing," he said, adding that he always laughs when people say he is leaving his job, since he also serves as national security adviser. The question followed a report that he was weighing an exit after the Republican midterm losses, with some sources claiming he had talked with White House officials about stepping down and had been asked to stay.
The White House and State Department rejected the story outright. State's Dylan Johnson called it "complete and total fake news based on the word of anonymous sources," and White House spokesperson Beni Rae Harmony described it as a fabricated hoax. The Independent reported along similar lines, citing unnamed party and UK government figures who said Rubio could quit, but none of those sources were willing to be named.
The real subtext is 2028. Rubio declined to engage on a presidential run, saying he would not talk about it anymore, and he has previously said he would support JD Vance. For now, the record is a standoff between anonymous claims and on-the-record denials. What Rubio does in the weeks after the midterms will settle the question more reliably than any unnamed source.
Asked whether he was about to walk away from the Trump administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio answered with a joke about his own workload. "I love the work I'm doing," he said. "And plus I always laugh when they say he's going to leave his job. I go, 'Which one?'" The line was a reminder that Rubio holds two posts at once: he is secretary of state and also President Trump's national security adviser.
The question came after a report that he was weighing an exit following the Republican losses in the midterm elections. According to some of the people cited in that report, Rubio had spoken with White House officials about stepping down and had been asked to stay. The report's sourcing was anonymous, and that became the center of the pushback.
Both the White House and the State Department denied it, as relayed by Bloomberg. Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of State for global public affairs, called it "complete and total fake news based on the word of anonymous sources, befitting a tabloid." White House spokesperson Beni Rae Harmony described it as "a fabricated hoax being peddled by anonymous sources with no factual information." Rubio's own comments came after those denials.
The Independent has been reporting along similar lines. It cited senior party sources in the United States and senior figures in the UK government who said Rubio could quit even before the midterm results were in, and it said those sources repeated the claim once the votes were counted. One Washington insider told the paper that Rubio needs to "distance himself from the Iran war and pin that one on Trump."
A Rubio ally quoted by the paper made the case for leaving in political terms: "It makes complete sense for him to step down and leave the administration." The ally added that he cannot run while still serving as secretary of state, and that being tied to the administration will only harm his prospects anyway. A senior UK government source said: "We are looking to see what he will do after the midterms. It seems unlikely that he will stick around." None of these sources is named.
The subtext is the 2028 presidential race. Rubio declined to engage on it. "I literally will not talk about 2028 anymore," he said. "I just won't do it." He has previously said he would support Vice President JD Vance if Vance runs, telling NBC News in May: "JD is a very good friend of mine."
So the record at this point is a standoff between anonymous claims and on-the-record denials. Rubio says he is staying in a job he likes, the White House and State Department call the exit story invented, and the people who say otherwise have not put their names to it. What he does in the weeks after the midterms is the thing to watch, since his own statements, rather than unnamed sources, will settle it.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
I love the work I'm doing. And plus I always laugh when they say he's going to leave his job. I go, 'Which one?'— Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
This is complete and total fake news based on the word of anonymous sources, befitting a tabloid.— Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of State for global public affairs
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