President Donald Trump has surrounded himself with an array of advisors and Cabinet members representing a wide spectrum of views and opinions on any number of important issues.
That has not only given him access to diverse perspectives, but it has given one-time rivals an opportunity to see each other in a more sympathetic light.
And that’s apparently what has been going on between Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
As the Daily Caller reported, Kennedy recently acknowledged that he hasn’t always been a big Rubio fan, but things have changed since they’ve been serving together under Trump.
“Marco Rubio is the funniest guy in the cabinet. He says things that make people belly laugh at every cabinet meeting,” Kennedy said. “I never was very — let’s say — approving of Marco, because he was kind of a neocon war hawk. But now he’s had this incredible transformation.”
“I think he’s very aligned with me on most issues, on Ukraine, you know, and just the fact that we should not be the policeman of the world anymore, that we’ve got to, you know, we’ve got to withdraw from that,” he continued.
On Jan. 20, Rubio became Trump’s first Senate-confirmed cabinet nominee during Trump’s second term. Rubio previously advocated for a globally involved U.S. that protects “freedom fighters” and democracies, according to a speech he gave in 2011.
However, he voted against a foreign aid package in 2024 that consisted of Ukraine funding — while maintaining his hawkish stance on China and Latin America. Rubio has also supported a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, arguing both sides must make concessions for the conflict to end.
A number of pro-Trump social media users were enthusiastic upon hearing of the thawed relationship between the two officials:
RFK is 100% right…Rubio used to be McCain light…now I he is MAGA strong… https://t.co/gIrtnw4PBm
— Dr.Tamara J Barbosa 🇺🇸🇵🇷🇺🇸 (@100x35Media) June 30, 2025
I've done a 180 on Marco. He's been great
— Noel Roberts (@noelxroberts) July 1, 2025
This. @marcorubio and @JDVance are some of the best ever in their roles, IMO.
Why? It least from publicly available info, regardless of personal preferences (not alleging one way or the other), both are playing their respective positions
/roles and adhering to the chain of…— John D. Villarreal, JD, MBA, MA (@JohnDVillarreal) June 30, 2025
Mediaite also reported on Kennedy’s recent remarks, offering a relevant anecdote from just after Trump’s electoral victory in November:
On November 7 of last year, two days after Trump won the 2024 presidential election, The Hill’s Hanna Trudo reported that Kennedy did not want Rubio to be nominated for the position he was eventually confirmed to.
ADVERTISEMENT“He will be advocating for someone who is less neocon,” a source told Trudo.
After being asked if he would vote to confirm Kennedy to a Cabinet position on November 6, Rubio replied “I think the Senate is going to give great deference to a president that just won a stunning, what I think is an electoral college landslide when all is said and done and a mandate. He’s being given a mandate to govern.”
“Obviously, you have to be qualified and all of these sorts of things, but beyond that, we have to ensure that he has a team around him that helps them execute his public policy, not undermine it or stand in the way of it,” he added.
Here’s a full clip of Kennedy’s interview:
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