CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil ended the network's evening newscast Tuesday with an unusual on-air "salute" to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, drawing attention to Rubio's growing list of responsibilities within the Trump administration.
Dokoupil closed the broadcast by praising Rubio for taking on a growing portfolio of titles and responsibilities inside the Trump administration, noting that "whatever you think of his politics, you've got to admit it's an impressive resume."
Rubio, the former Florida Republican senator, currently serves as secretary of state, interim national security adviser, and acting national archivist.
He was also previously tapped to oversee the U.S. Agency for International Development before the agency was shuttered — a move praised by many conservatives who have long argued the foreign-aid bureaucracy was bloated, ideological, and unaccountable.
The expanding list of responsibilities has sparked a wave of viral memes online portraying Rubio as everything from a sports manager to a global leader.
Dokoupil highlighted several of them on air.
"Now AI memes have added to that portfolio," Dokoupil said, joking that Rubio has been cast as "the new governor of Minnesota, the new shah of Iran, the new prime minister of Greenland, the new manager of Manchester United, the head of Hilton Hotels ... and the highest of high honors of all, the new Michelin Man."
Dokoupil added that while the jokes may not mean much politically, they signal something bigger: Florida's rise from political punchline to a major driver of national leadership.
"Marco Rubio, we salute you," he said. "You're the ultimate Florida man."
The White House also embraced the moment.
A White House social media account shared the clip and wrote, "we love [Marco Rubio]!"
The segment comes as CBS News faces mounting scrutiny over its evolving coverage of the Trump administration.
The Hill noted Dokoupil and CBS have been under the microscope in recent weeks following Bari Weiss being installed as the network's editor-in-chief — part of a broader effort by Paramount executive David Ellison to remake CBS coverage to reflect a wider range of political viewpoints.
Dokoupil himself has acknowledged a growing trust gap between Americans and the legacy press.
In a message to viewers, he said people "don't trust us like they used to," and argued that on too many stories, the media leaned on advocates, academics and elites rather than the "average American."
For conservatives, Dokoupil's praise of Rubio may represent a small but notable shift: An establishment news anchor openly recognizing that Trump's administration is stocked with serious leadership — and that Rubio, in particular, has become one of the most visible symbols of it.
In a media environment often hostile to Republicans, even a tongue-in-cheek salute from a CBS anchor stood out, highlighting Rubio’s rising profile and the increasingly prominent role he plays on the world stage during Trump’s second term.
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