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| Fraser Seitel |
The hardest public relations job in America is being Marco Rubio.
On the one hand, he understands that absolute fealty to the fearless leader is the nonnegotiable first requirement of his continuing as Secretary of State. On the other hand, he recognizes that tying himself too closely to a ticking time bomb as incendiary as Donald Trump could jettison his own burning desire to one day become President of the United States.
So, every day, Marco Rubio must publicly straddle a fine public relations line wherein he unhesitatingly supports the President’s strategic policies while not justifying or encouraging Trump’s obnoxious personal peccadilloes.
And thus far, Rubio has met this challenge with admirable aplomb and dexterity, distinguishing himself from fellow Cabinet secretaries.
Trump’s Cabinet falls into three primary groups:
Cringeworthy sycophants. At one extreme are those who have sacrificed all semblance of dignity and self-respect to prostrate themselves at the altar of Trump. At the top of this group, of course, is the stunningly incompetent Pete Hegseth, a Secretary of Defense so out of his depth that the very Pentagon advisors he chose to surround him have reportedly led the coup to get him fired. Close behind in the groveling galaxy are the shameless Attorney General Pam Biondi and the tightly wrapped—and rarely right—FBI Director Kash Patel.
Unknown unknowns. At the other end of the spectrum are the Cabinet secretaries nobody has ever heard of, including Trump apparently, based on his hesitance with their names at televised meetings. We’re talking folks like Housing Secretary Scott Turner and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Go-to doers. Finally, there’s the small group of Cabinet secretaries who are by no means MAGA true believers but have nonetheless won their President’s trust by proving they can actually get things done. Scott Bessent, the understated and very un-Trumplike Secretary of the Treasury, is one. The effervescent Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik is another. And Secretary of State Rubio heads the pack.
Trump has steadily entrusted Rubio with increased power and privileges. Rubio is the first combination Secretary of State/National Security Advisor since Henry Kissinger, but unlike Kissinger, Rubio also wields domestic influence in areas such as immigration policy and drug enforcement.
How did a person whom then-candidate Trump once impugned as “Little Marco” evolve from a despised critic to a trusted loyalist? The answer lies in Rubio’s steadfast public relations campaign to remake his image, underpinned by the following four pillars.
Competence from smarts and hard work
Rubio’s 14 years in the Senate and knock-around public battle running and debating against Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign distinguish him as far-and-away the most experienced member of Trump’s Cabinet.
More than any other administration official south of Trump, he understands how to carry himself in public and on television. He's a confident and engaging public speaker who thinks quickly on his feet. Additionally, at 54, he possesses youthful good looks and vitality. So, too, perhaps do Defense Secretary Hegseth and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem, but on a “competence” level, there’s no contest.
Flexibility
Rubio is, at base, a political pragmatist. He understands that to secure his career goal (i.e., become President), he’s got to bend to get there. So, he changed his positions on various issues since the 2015 campaign, buried his distaste for Trump’s belligerence and coarseness and persuaded himself to accept the leadership of a rival he once labeled “a third-world strongman” and “conman.”
Rubio has also taken time to befriend and captivate Trump’s allies and family. Donnie, Jr. disliked his father’s nemesis during the first campaign, so when Rubio dropped out of the contest, he made sure to appear on Trump, Jr.’s podcast to smooth things over. He also made friends with Ivanka and Lara Trump. Both Trump counselor Susie Wiles and Trump buddy and special envoy Steve Witkoff sing Rubio’s praises as a negotiator, strategist and leader.
Playing to Trump’s ego/preferences
When he isn’t filing on Truth Social or holding Oval Office briefings, the President is watching TV. And those who appeal to Trump most are the telegenic, where Rubio shines. Unlike the President’s other favorites, Bessent, who's too stiff on television, and Lutnick, who's too exuberant, Rubio is always smooth as silk. No matter the controversy, Rubio is a composed, articulate and confident talking head.
Rubio has also publicly declared that his “next vacation” would come after his tenure as Secretary of State, which must be music to the ears of his workaholic boss. Finally, in terms of the requisite standard of greasing the boss’s ego, Rubio is the rare Cabinet member who backs up his Trump praise of a “transformational foreign policy” with specifics.
“He’s the only leader in the world who can end these wars,” Rubio told a recent Cabinet meeting. “He’s got Steve Witkoff in Moscow trying to end a war that’s costing 9,000 lives a week. He’s personally taken on the issue of Sudan, India and Pakistan, Cambodia and Thailand.”
Staying moderate, not MAGA
Finally, also unlike most Trump loyalists, while Rubio has publicly supported the idea of “America first,” he’s careful not to explicitly endorse the rabid true believers of MAGA.
Rubio remains a moderate; no easy task in a sea of hardcore Trump MAGA sharks like Hegseth, Noem, Vice President J.D. Vance, OMB’s Russell Vought and top advisor Stephen Miller.
Meanwhile, the political tide is turning. As inept as the Democrats are, they seem likely to regain the House in next year’s midterms. Trump’s popularity, which ascended in the wake of ridiculous and costly Democrat social and immigration policies, is sinking. Trump’s tone-deaf comments after Rob Reiner’s death are just the latest reminder of the President’s questionable public relations instincts.
A public that has grown tired of Trump may also not care much for a Trump imitator like Vance to replace him. If so, it won’t take much even for timid Republicans to look toward a more moderate, more palatable, more benign conservative leader.
Enter Marco Rubio.
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Fraser P. Seitel has been a communications consultant, author and teacher for more than 40 years. He’s the author of the Pearson text “The Practice of Public Relations,” now in its 15th edition, and co-author of “Rethinking Reputation” “Idea Wise.” He may be reached directly at [email protected].
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