How Rubio became Trump's minister of many hats

President Trump's decision to make Secretary of State Marco Rubio the acting national security adviser showed the MAGA faithful that his former rival is now among his most trusted advisers. Why it matters: Rubio's elevation caps a years-long evolution for the former Florida senator, from a traditional Reagan-era conservative to a Trump Republican. But it's not just about politics and policy."Marco can bro out with the POTUS. They talk UFC. They talk sports," a White House insider told Axios, comparing Rubio favorably to Vice President Vance.The intrigue: A faction of old-line Trump loyalists still deride Rubio as a "neo con," and have waged a relentless behind-the-scenes war against him to try to persuade reporters that Rubio has a shaky hold on power in the Cabinet.Thursday's move by Trump put the lie to that.As secretary of state and acting national security adviser, Rubio now has powers no U.S. official has held since Henry Kissinger, who held both posts full-time under President Nixon.Rubio, Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff are like gold to a president known for liking gilded things. He keeps piling work on him."When I have a problem, he has answers. He can fix things," Trump said of Rubio, according to an adviser.Zoom in: A secret to Rubio's success with Trump is his willingness to make frequent appearances on Sunday shows, where he defends the administration's controversial immigration policies and goes on offense."Rubio hits it out of the park consistently," a White House adviser said. "He's not just on message — he makes the message. There's no flubs. He's great on TV and that's what the boss likes," said another White House adviser.Zoom out: Rubio now wears four hats: secretary of state, acting national security adviser, USAID acting administrator and interim leader of the National Archives. And those are just his formal titles."The president pulls him in for everything," said another White House official. "When Trump likes you and trusts you, he loads you up. Marco is loaded up.""Marco, what do you think about tariffs?" Trump asked out of the blue on one occasion, the source recalled.Rubio tried to avoid giving his opinion (which the source wouldn't disclose) but ultimately weighed in.Inside the room: When Trump began considering replacements for then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz after Signalgate, he was hesitant to make any changes because he didn't want to give his critics a win. But inside the White House, the wheels were in motion to replace Waltz.One problem: Trump didn't have an obvious replacement."Go figure it out," he instructed his top aides.Chief of Staff Susie Wiles "eventually came back with Marco's name, and Trump loved the idea," said one official involved in the talks. Driving the news: Thursday's announcement was hastened when journalist Mark Halperin scooped that Waltz was on his way out."We woke up Thursday morning and the Halperin thing had gone on fire. It wasn't just a blaze," a senior adviser said. "We couldn't put it out. So we just went with it and made it happen."In the hours that followed, Trump's team quickly took Waltz off his national security post and found him a landing spot: UN ambassador.Outside the room: Rubio has steadily sidled up to MAGA media. He made sure to reserve time for an interview with the president's son Donald Trump Jr., for his "Triggered" podcast last month.Rubio also granted an interview to Mike Benz, another Trump-friendly podcaster.In an X post that aligned with MAGA hearts, Rubio on Friday defended Germany's AfD, describing the far-right party as "popular" and the immigration policies of Germany's mainstream parties as "truly extremist." Vance and Elon Musk have praised the AfD, which Germany's more moderate parties treat as an extremist organization and refuse to work with.Rubio also has a close working relationship with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner who criticized then-Sen. Rubio in 2013 for his involvement in the "Gang of Eight" bipartisan immigration reform effort.Flashback: Rubio, who lost out to Vance to be Trump's VP, had a close working relationship with Trump during the president's first term. He helped craft Trump's Cuba restrictions and advised him on events in the Western Hemisphere.Before that, they were bitter rivals in the 2016 presidential campaign.Trump belittled Rubio then as "Little Marco." Now he expresses a measure of fond jealousy that Rubio, running for Senate in 2016 after dropping his presidential bid, got more votes in Florida than Trump on the same ballot."Trump loves converting former foes who become allies," an outside White House adviser said.What's next: Insiders say Trump's in no rush to replace Rubio as acting national security adviser. The president sees him as a capable manager who's overseen the gutting of USAID and the downsizing of the State Department.More staff reductions and firings are likely on the way. Rubio allies say there's an advantage to a secretary of state controlling the national security apparatus because it reduces inter-agency foreign policy fights that can be a drag on an administration. As for Rubio? "He's deathly afraid of getting another title and more responsibility," a longtime ally joked.

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