Few people would’ve thought that, when President Trump and JD Vance took the Inaugural oath in 2025, that only 18 months later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be neck-and-neck with Vance in a poll as to who would be Trump’s successor.
The moon and the stars were aligned for the younger Vance, who was chosen as VP because of his Rust Belt credentials, his confident pushback against the biased liberal media and his affinity with the working-class MAGA base.
Vance was pure America First, so much so that he could actually be described as an isolationist. Few were expecting Marco Rubio to jump into such serious contention in such a short period of time,
Some of this was due to Rubio’s obvious talents in his diplomacy, message delivery and overall performance, wearing numerous hats in the Trump administration — chief among them as Secretary of State. Rubio has also been assisted by numerous unforced errors by Vance.
Rubio paints a picture of America along the lines of Ronald Reagan’s shining city on the hill. He inspirationally portrays our nation as a beacon of light in a world where there are indeed good guys and bad guys. Like Reagan before him, he’s not afraid to list the bad guys — including Putin, Hamas, China and Iran.
On the other hand, Vance appears to be far more transactional, just as his boss is, and prone to aligning himself with the isolationist fringe within the party (see Laura Loomer and Tucker Carlson).
The Russia/Ukraine conflict? That’s Europe’s problem, not ours. Vance gives the impression that there is very little difference between the freedom-seeking Ukrainians and the dictator Putin.
More disturbing is his recent expression of a sense of moral equivalency between the liberal free state of Israel, and the illiberal totalitarian Islamofascists in Hamas.
Vance lashed out on numerous occasions that both sides just have to knock it off, as though they’re two equally spoiled brats. Missing from this analysis is the fact that 9 million Jews in Israel have been constantly targeted for extinction, as in October 2023, by over one hundred million people in many surrounding Muslim nations.
His claim that Israel has no friends and they should simply shut up and just be grateful on the Iranian issue was pathetic — and to many, downright disqualifying. The Memorandum of Understanding he crafted with Iran was seen as a sellout to many observers.
Rubio seems to get it that Israel is not only our greatest ally in the region, but perhaps in the world. They don’t just talk a good game like the lazy and irresponsible Europeans; they’re willing to fight the fight and to have our back every step along the way.
There’s no doubt that Vance can exhibit charm, and is wicked smart. He is loved by conservatives for clapping back at the liberal elites in the media and was commended for doing a splendid job and besting Governor Tim Walz in the most recent VP debate. However, it also appears that Vance has a low ceiling regarding his ability to attract moderate and independent voters.
Rubio, on the other hand, is equally smart and far more diplomatic. While Vance gave a brilliant and much-needed speech lecturing the Europeans on their clampdown on free speech and ruinous open border policies, he used a confrontational tone that wound up alienating a majority of these allies. Contrast that to Rubio, who basically said the same thing in his speech on the subject, and wound up getting a standing ovation from the observing foreign representatives.
Rubio’s cachet skyrocketed even further after his brilliant stint as a stand-in for Karoline Leavitt at a press briefing. He was funny, informative and articulate. His ability to weave in Spanish to answer questions posed by a foreign reporter endeared him to Latino voters.
Many conservatives catapulted Rubio to their number one spot after marveling at his off-the-cuff, brilliant response to a question as to America’s greatness. It was positive and uplifting in a Reaganesque sort of way, which is why many believe that he can serve as a bridge between traditional Republicans and Trump‘s MAGA base.
It’s still not clear if Trump will render an endorsement which might put the whole conversation to bed, but for the sake of the GOP’s future, and that of our country, let’s hope he stays neutral. If that remains the case, look for Rubio to have a better chance of taking the nomination.