# Rubio, off script, leans into inspiring vision for America as 2028 speculation grows — retained record

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source: [news](https://highsignal.app/data/news) (news:the-hill)  published 2026-11-14 01:14 ingested 2026-11-14 03:03

[original source ↗](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6220243-rubio-federalist-society-remarks-2028-preview/)

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Rubio, off script, leans into inspiring vision for America as 2028 speculation grows
Secretary of State Marco Rubio promoted an inspirational view of the United States during remarks at a conservative law conference Friday, invoking the image of a country where an ambitious attitude binds Americans — striving toward living up to the founding ideals
Rubio’s off-script remarks, which followed a keynote address during the annual conference of The Federalist Society, provided a window into how a potential presidential campaign may rally voters.
Rubio has dismissed the notion he’s planning to leave the administration early to launch a presidential campaign. But Republican voters are in favor of his running in 2028, with 45 percent rating him as an excellent candidate, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. Vice President Vance was not far behind with 43 percent.
Rubio was relaxed, joking and encouraging while responding to questions from law students at the Friday evening conference in Washington, D.C. The conservative legal society served as a key pipeline for staffing President Trump’s second term and implementing an expansive view of executive power.
The secretary encouraged one student to focus on the value of human dignity and caring for the less fortunate when asked how a Christian attorney should respond when pressured to leave faith at the door.
“Remember, I did land-use and zoning,” Rubio joked of his law practice, moving seamlessly between humor and sincerity — demonstrating skills he’s honed throughout an over two-decade political career.
On Iran, Rubio said U.S. economic pressure is replacing the need for military action — echoing Trump’s downplaying of renewed strikes on the country — but did not provide a vision for an offramp.
“It’s hard, it’s not easy, and it’s difficult, and oftentimes it inflicts pain, economic pain, and otherwise. So, we recognize that, but victory is they can never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Rubio gave a lighter touch to hot-button culture issues, where the Trump administration has sought to overhaul how America’s history is presented related to slavery, racism and imperialism.
“I never said our history’s perfect, I said our history is better than anybody else’s,” Rubio said in response to a question on how to instill “love for the values of our country” for the next generation.
Rubio said, “All the great justice movements in our history” — the abolition of slavery, the end of segregation and women gaining the right to vote — was a “demand that we live up to our founding principle.”
The secretary’s off-script remarks served as a contrast to a more bullish and confrontational prepared speech, where Rubio accused practitioners of international law of making an effort to weaken the United States — drawing applause when highlighting the administration’s sanctioning of the International Criminal Court.
“They think they have the right to rule over everyone,” he said.
“If they are foolish enough to try to enforce their paper decrees, our answer will be the same as the Roman general Pompey… ‘Stop quoting laws to men with swords.’”
That line unexpectedly drew laughter, causing the secretary to adlib into a joke about how Pompey was not politically correct.
The secretary’s prepared remarks on Friday echoed a speech he delivered last month in Athens, where he sought to make a case for America’s unrestrained ambition and right to conquest.
The October speech also drew attention as possibly laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential run. The scene was stunning — the ancient Acropolis in the background lit by the setting Mediterranean sun. But the speech was overshadowed by a host of controversies engulfing then-U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.
Trump fired her shortly after Rubio’s remarks, responding to negative press that Guilfoyle sought to trade access to the administration in exchange for cash.
Rubio poked fun at Democrats’ resounding midterm victory and pledges by the incoming House Oversight Committee chair, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif), to investigate allegations of corruption and threats to national security.
“There was a congressman who said we all needed to lawyer up, so here we are,” he quipped.
Updated at 8:19 p.m. EST
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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document fetched 2026-11-14 03:03 · canonical https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6220243-rubio-federalist-society-remarks-2028-preview