Secretary of State Marco Rubio is finding himself in a sometimes uncomfortable spotlight in his high-risk, high-reward place as a Trump administration Cabinet official.

Rubio is not a dyed-in-the-wool member of the MAGA movement, having run against President Trump in 2016.

Some in MAGA World had hoped to see Ric Grenell tapped as secretary of State instead. An image of Rubio sunken into an Oval Office couch as Trump sparred with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went viral, with some suggesting the secretary was trying to disassociate amid the chaos.

But Rubio has proven his loyalty to Trump and emerged as one of the most crucial Cabinet officials in the early weeks of Trump 2.0 as he seeks to carry out the president’s high-stakes foreign policy agenda. And Trump has made a point of signaling his secretary of State has his full support.

“If you're in this administration, [Trump] trusts, respects and knows you, otherwise you wouldn’t be there,” said Matt Terrill, who served as chief of staff during Rubio’s 2016 White House bid. “It’s not like Secretary Rubio evolved overnight to be someone who’s a big supporter of Trump and his agenda.”

Some in Trump’s orbit eyed Rubio with skepticism when he was being considered for secretary of State. After all, Rubio and Trump had been fierce, at times personal rivals during the 2016 campaign. Rubio has also built a reputation as a foreign policy hawk, particularly toward Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, putting him at odds with Trump’s dealmaker approach that blurs the lines between ally and adversary.

But Rubio did not have a sudden awakening on Trumpism in recent months.

He

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