Secretary of State Marco Rubio returned to his old stomping grounds Tuesday, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the State Department’s budget proposal. But the hearing was not short on fireworks thanks to a tense exchange between Rubio and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
Fresh off his trip to El Salvador to check in on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Van Hollen used his time to air his grievances about the Trump administration’s foreign policy and tell Rubio he regretted voting for him. He seemingly did not intend for Rubio to respond, but the former Florida senator did not let him off the hook. Instead, he expertly rebutted Van Hollen’s claims one by one.
On Wednesday’s show, Megyn was joined by Victor Davis Hanson, author of The End of Everything, to discuss the fiery hearing and why Rubio is quickly emerging as a legitimate option to succeed Donald Trump in 2028 and beyond.
Rubio Fires Back
Senators had seven minutes each to question Rubio and Van Hollen chose to use his time to tick through his various issues with the Trump administration, including cuts to USAID, the deportation of criminal illegal migrants, and revoking student visas.
He likened Rubio’s leadership to the Red Scare era of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, accusing him of overseeing a “campaign of fear and repression [that] is eating away at the foundational values of our democracy.” He then attempted a mic drop moment. “I have to tell you directly and personally that I regret voting for you for Secretary of State,” Van Hollen concluded.
With that, the senator’s time was up and the secretary of state asked Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) if he could respond. The request was granted. “First of all, your regret for voting for me confirms I’m doing a good job,” Rubio told his former colleague.
Van Hollen interjected that was “a flippant statement,” but Risch shut him down and said Rubio was allowed to respond to his claims without interruption. When Van Hollen asked if he would then get another shot at Rubio, he was denied. “Your time is up, Mr. Senator, and woefully used I might add,” Risch said.
Rubio defended the freezing of USAID programs. “First of all, I’m actually very proud of the work we’ve done with USAID,” he said. “For example, I don’t regret cutting $10 million for male circumcisions in Mozambique. I don’t know how that makes us stronger and more prosperous as a nation… We spent $227,000 for Big Cat’s YouTube channel from USAID. We spent $14 million for social cohesion in Mali – whatever the hell that means.”
Van Hollen had accused Trump and Rubio of having “openly flouted judicial orders” by not facilitating the return of Abrego Garcia, which Rubio rejected. “No judge in the judicial branch can tell me or the president how to conduct foreign policy,” he responded.
He also took a shot at Van Hollen’s highly publicized trip to El Salvador. “We deported gang members… including the one you had a margarita with,” Rubio said. “And that guy is a human trafficker, and that guy is a gang banger, and the evidence is going to be clear in the days to come.”
Van Hollen jumped in again, shouting to the chairman that Rubio “can’t make unsubstantiated comments” like that. “Secretary Rubio should take that testimony to the federal court of the United States because he hasn’t done it under oath,” the senator said before Risch banged the gavel and allowed Rubio to continue.
The Future of the GOP
Megyn called Rubio’s rebuttal “a thing of beauty” and said the secretary of state has really come into his own. “This truly is Marco Rubio in full flower, as they say. He is better than ever,” she noted. “He really is sharp and [does] verbal jujitsu in a way he was not doing even 10 years ago… Just A-plus-plus-level aptitude and ability to process his thoughts and take on multiple arguments at once… It is very impressive.”
In Hanson’s view, Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are Donald Trump’s most effective messengers for “articulating this counterrevolution” because they have a “reassuring and calm” demeanor but are “very tough,” “don’t back down,” and don’t “make slips or gaffes.”
As it relates to foreign policy, Hanson said Rubio has come to represent “a nice fusion of MAGA… non-interventionism and deterrence” that he believes reflects the “more natural inclinations of Donald Trump.”
While Rubio had his own run-ins with Trump – particularly during the 2016 Republican primary – Megyn said he has now emerged as a legitimate contender to lead the party in a post-Trump era. “He is 53 years old. J.D. Vance just turned 40. They are both very formidable,” she said. “Donald Trump keeps mentioning him. When Trump talks about the future the Republican Party and somebody says, ‘Is it J.D.? Trump keeps saying, ‘JD is great. Marco Rubio is great too.’ He keeps making space for him.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Hanson by tuning in to episode 1,077 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.