Rubio stays off campaign trail as Trump Cabinet rallies Republicans– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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EXCERPT:
Top Trump officials have fanned out across the country to rally behind Republican candidates with just 64 days to go before the midterm elections, but one notable surrogate has been absent: Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio, widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, has largely steered clear of the campaign trail even as other top administration officials have embraced political travel. War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Attorney General Todd Blanche have all appeared at events as Republicans scramble to preserve their congressional majorities.
Rubio, meanwhile, has remained focused on the sprawling foreign policy portfolio Trump has handed him. His absence is partly institutional. A spokesperson for the State Department told the Washington Examiner in a statement that it is a “long-standing” department policy to “prohibit Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees from attending partisan conventions.”
“This is to avoid any appearance of partisanship in the conduct of foreign relations and in recognition of the need for the U.S. Government to speak with one voice on foreign policy matters,” the spokesperson said.
Trump’s former first-term Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sparked controversy in 2020 after he defied the department’s precedent by delivering a prerecorded speech to the Republican National Convention.
At the time, the State Department told Politico that Pompeo’s address was “in his personal capacity,” and that “No State Department resources will be used.”
Rubio himself acknowledged the constraints of his job during a 2025 interview with Lara Trump, saying there are “rules against me being involved in domestic politics.”
The policy makes it unlikely Rubio will attend the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention set for September. Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance are set to deliver speeches at the two-day convention in Dallas, Texas.
A former Rubio aide told the Washington Examiner that staying away from domestic politics likely fits the secretary of state just fine because he “loves his current jobs” in the Trump administration.