US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is enjoying online memes about himself and sharing them with his family and colleagues, according to The New York Times.
According to the newspaper, Rubio has been sharing images and jokes from the Internet with friends and State Department officials, including references to his holding multiple positions in Donald Trump's administration. Social media users have jokingly portrayed him as the Secretary of Homeland Security, the President of Venezuela, and even as a character from the movie “Alien“ after Trump ordered the declassification of materials about UFOs.
As the media outlet notes, the wave of memes coincided with the increased public activity of Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance - two key figures considered potential presidential candidates in the 2028 Republican Party.
According to the newspaper, Trump himself regularly asks his entourage in private conversations: “Who is better - J.D. or Marco?“ The president sometimes jokes that Vance and Rubio could even run together.
At the same time, both politicians have significantly increased their media presence in recent weeks, according to the newspaper. Rubio has been actively commenting on the conflict with Iran from the White House, visited Italy, met with Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni and Pope Leo XIV, and is preparing to travel to China with Trump.
Vance, for his part, has participated in Republican campaign events ahead of the midterm elections for Congress. During a speech in Iowa, he criticized the Democratic Party and linked his political position to his own experience, "coming from a family of allied Democrats."
Despite talk of a potential rivalry, sources to the publication claim that Rubio and Vance maintain good relations and do not want to appear as competitors.
According to a Pew Research poll, Vance remains a more recognizable figure among Republican voters: 75% of party supporters have a favorable opinion of him, compared to 64% for Rubio. Moreover, according to the survey, almost one in five Republicans in America does not even know the secretary of state. Meanwhile, Rubio's allies, according to the publication, believe that his growing public profile and image could expand the Republican base beyond Trump's core supporters.
In late April, Politico reported that some Trump allies increasingly see Rubio as a serious contender for president before the 2028 election. His supporters point to his skills in resolving foreign conflicts and his ability to avoid political traps as key advantages. At the same time, The Wall Street Journal noted that Trump himself has increasingly favored Rubio.
Meanwhile, The Atlantic and the Financial Times noted Vance's declining role in American politics. Trump sent him to negotiate with Iran, which was not expected to produce results in the first round, and that they have become a “poisoned chalice“ for him.