Rubio to fill in for Leavitt in WH press briefing

Rubio, for his part, has become the subject of a recurring meme due to President Donald Trump's penchant for naming him to additional roles to fill vacancies.

Published: May 5, 2026 12:19pm

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fill in for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in the Tuesday press briefing.

The substitution comes after Leavitt had her second child. Administration officials plan to take turns filling in for her throughout her leave. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth this week gave his own separate press conference to provide updates on the Iran war.

Rubio, for his part, has become the subject of a recurring meme due to President Donald Trump's penchant for naming him to additional roles to fill vacancies, The Hill reported

The format features an image of Rubio looking exasperated in the Oval Office and often superimposes the uniform or outfit of the person whose role he will assume. He has been depicted as the Shah of Iran, President of Cuba, other world leaders, and a litany of pop culture figures.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.

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