Secretary of State Marco Rubio Meets Pope Leo XIV at Vatican
Rubio will meet the first U.S.-born pope after standing in at a White House press briefing on Tuesday. The appearance drew online attention and comparisons to Vice President JD Vance ahead of potential 2028 interest.
Substrate placeholder — needs review · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday. The session follows Rubio's Tuesday appearance at a White House press briefing, where he substituted for spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, who is on maternity leave. Rubio represented Florida in the Senate from 2011 to 2025 and ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.
Post by @SCMPNews on X
U.S. Agency for International Development. Over the weekend he DJed at a family wedding. At the Tuesday briefing Rubio spoke to reporters for close to an hour. " He also addressed an ongoing war in Iran that has sent gas prices higher and an administration initiative on the Strait of Hormuz that President Trump later adjusted.
Rubio stated the Vatican trip had been planned earlier. "It's a trip we had planned from before and obviously we had some stuff that happened. There's a lot to talk about with the Vatican," he said. -born pope, has criticized some Trump administration policies.
Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, traveled to Iowa on Tuesday to support Republican Rep. Zach Nunn. A video clip showed Vance losing his place in his speech and forgetting the name of Nunn's challenger.
Rubio was raised Catholic. Online reactions followed the briefing. Tommy Vietor posted on X that Rubio appeared content and suggested he was positioning for higher office. Florida Rep. " Sarah Longwell reported in The Atlantic that focus group participants increasingly favor Rubio over Vance as a potential 2028 candidate, describing him as a stabilizing force.
The hashtag #Rubio2028 trended on X after the briefing.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
5 events- Thursday
Secretary of State Marco Rubio scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.
1 sourceCNBC - Tuesday
Marco Rubio stood in for White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt at a press briefing and briefed reporters for close to an hour.
1 sourceCNBC - Tuesday
Vice President JD Vance made his first stop in Iowa since becoming vice president to support Rep. Zach Nunn; a clip showed him forgetting the challenger's name.
1 sourcePolitico - Monday
President Donald Trump said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show that Pope Leo XIV's foreign policy views are endangering a lot of Catholics.
1 sourceCNBC - Weekend
Marco Rubio DJed at a family wedding.
1 sourceCNBC
Potential Impact
- 01
Increased public visibility for Rubio following the briefing performance and trending hashtag.
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