Marco Rubio used to say Donald Trump was a “con artist.” He said it out loud and people took videos.
There is a clip going around on social media that is from early 2016. Back then it was primary season. And with the debate stage lights on, it seemed as if everything was at stake for the young politician. Rubio was still running for president then. And still trying to stop Trump from taking the nomination.
He wasn’t subtle. “I will never stop until we keep a con man from taking over the party of Reagan and the conservative movement,” he told a crowd. A few days later he went on morning television and doubled down. Called Trump “wholly unprepared” for the job. He said handing him the nuclear codes would be reckless. Taking it even further, Rubio said Trump had spent decades “sticking it to the little guy.”
Irish Star recalled that at the time everything was at stake. There were debates and interviews. But most troubling was that Trump was leading in delegates, and Rubio himself was slipping.
Marco Rubio on Donald Trump in 2016: “I will never stop until we keep a con man from taking over the party of Reagan and the conservative movement.”
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— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) February 18, 2026
In another 2016 interview, Rubio warned Republicans would have to explain how they “fell into this trap.” He said, “This is not going to end well one way or the other.”
Trump responded by roasting him on Twitter. “Lightweight Marco,” he said. He added, “Choker” in another. The back-and-forth ran for weeks.
Rubio also brought up Trump’s business record — casino bankruptcies, contractors who said they weren’t paid in full. He pointed to reporting from the 1980s about Polish workers at Trump Tower. Trump has long said he hired contractors and didn’t manage individual hiring decisions.
Trump was stacking up wins and seemed to be gaining momentum. By March, Rubio lost Florida, his own state, and suspended his campaign. Trump eventually locked up 1,441 delegates and the nomination.
That part is old history. What’s newer is where Rubio sits now. He endorsed Trump after the primary fight ended and backed him in the general election. During Trump’s first term, he supported administration policies such as tax cuts, conservative judicial picks, foreign policy positions.
Not letting up, he campaigned for him again in 2024. Today, Rubio is Secretary of State.
Marco Rubio in 2016: For years to come, there are many people on the right…that are going to be having to explain and justify how they fell into this trap of supporting Donald Trump because this is not going to end well.” (2016)
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— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) February 22, 2026
The old footage doesn’t come with commentary, and everything that has happened since then. It shows only a few seconds with words landing flat and clear.
Rubio never formally retracted the “con artist” label. He hasn’t revisited it in depth since taking his cabinet post. His office did not immediately respond to questions about the resurfaced clip.
In more recent remarks, Rubio has credited Trump with reshaping the Republican Party and bringing in new voters. As secretary of state, he now represents the administration overseas and sits in high-level national security meetings.
The resurfaced video is drawing comments and ridicule on social media. One person said, “@SecRubio and @VP both had many things to say against Trump until they became sell outs. While another wrote, “No integrity, no political morals, no core values, no ideology, no spine, nothing. No wonder that people are disappointed at the democracy as such. Marco Rubio has sold his soul to the devil.”
But, none of the comments take into account the history since then.
Ten years later, he works in the Trump administration. The tape hasn’t changed. But the setting has.
