Marco Rubio's words on Trump come back to haunt him after 10 years

Published on Thursday, February 26, 2026 by Bulletin Today USA


Marco Rubio, now one of President Trump’s closest allies, wasn’t always so complimentary about him. A recently resurfaced 2016 clip shows Rubio openly criticizing Trump in stark terms, long before he became a loyal supporter.

In the footage, Rubio calls Trump a “con man” and vows to do everything he can to prevent him from taking control of the Republican Party. Addressing a crowd, he said:

“I will never stop until we keep a con man from taking over the party of Reagan and the conservative movement.”

Rubio criticized Trump for exploiting Americans’ frustrations, particularly pointing to working-class Americans. He highlighted how Trump’s employees, such as plumbers and subcontractors, were among the first to lose their jobs when his businesses went bankrupt.

“He has spent a year in business, 50 years, sticking it to the little guy,” Rubio noted.

He also took aim at what he called Trump’s hypocrisy on immigration, pointing out that Trump employed undocumented workers from Poland and immigrants in his Florida hotels and Trump Tower.

At the time, Rubio was still a “never-Trumper.” He had run against Trump in 2015 before suspending his campaign in 2016 and returning to the Senate. Since then, Rubio has transformed into one of Trump’s most trusted allies, currently serving as Secretary of State and campaigning for Trump’s 2024 reelection.

Interestingly, Rubio recently revealed that he goes to great lengths to avoid being seen sleeping by Trump on Air Force One. In an interview with New York Magazine, the Florida senator shared his strategy for getting rest on long flights despite the president’s unusual sleep schedule.

“There's an office with two couches, and I usually want to sleep on one of those two couches. But what I do is I cocoon myself in a blanket. I cover my head. I look like a mummy.”

Rubio explained this careful tactic is because Trump often roams the aircraft to check who is awake, and he doesn’t want to appear weak. Washington correspondent Ben Terris even joked that Rubio “mimed pulling a blanket over his body as if he were auditioning for a Snuggie commercial.”

Whether reflecting on his past criticisms or his present loyalty, Rubio’s journey from “never-Trumper” to top ally illustrates the surprising shifts in political alliances over time.