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President Donald Trump “has effectively sidelined” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is often out of the loop when major foreign policy decisions are made, according to Vanity Fair.
The outlet published a report by Gabriel Sherman on Tuesday, stating that Rubio is privately “frustrated” that as the nation’s top diplomat, he is often not consulted on foreign affairs. Just last Friday, Rubio was in the Oval Office during a tense exchange between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump and Vance berated Zelensky, whom the vice president called “disrespectful.” Rubio appeared visibly uncomfortable during the conversation, but later that day went on CNN and praised Trump.
Vanity Fair reported:
While Rubio was quick to get in line in the days after the Zelenskyy showdown, the historic confrontation did indeed reveal a fault line inside the administration: Rubio is privately frustrated that Trump has effectively sidelined him. According to four prominent Republicans close to the White House, Rubio, who has been a Russia hawk and Ukraine supporter, has told people he is upset by his lack of foreign policy influence despite being, on paper at least, the administration’s top diplomat. One of the sources said they felt as though Rubio is often the last to know when foreign policy decisions are made in the White House.
According to Republicans I spoke with, Rubio’s unhappiness with Trump was brewing before Zelenskyy’s visit went sideways. Two of the sources said Rubio was caught off guard when Trump appointed nine foreign policy “envoys” with high-profile assignments such as ending the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
The report recalled the contentious 2016 Republican primary in which Trump routinely demeaned Rubio – then a senator – as “Little Marco,” but noted that the two reconciled and that Trump almost made Rubio his running mate in 2024.
Sherman concluded by saying a source told him Rubio is not long for his current position, stating, “One of the sources I spoke with speculated that Rubio will only last in the job 18 months before he resigns.”