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Rubio meme-athon continues, ‘You Shall Not Pass!’ edition

April 15, 2026 | | Print Article

In contention for the most memed official of the Trump administration, a bevy of recent events thrust Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the fore with references to sci-fi, fantasy and more.

Much like the split for favorite heading into the 2028 presidential race, Vice President J.D. Vance and Rubio have remained relatively neck and neck when it comes to entertaining depictions on social media. For the latter, multiple roles in the administration set the foundation for an action figure-style meme that continued to reward with costume changes to U.S. Navy SEALs, UFC fighters and even wizards.

For one, Rubio had appeared with President Donald Trump in Miami on Saturday for UFC 327, leading some to suggest that the official would either be on the card for the night’s event or would make an even bolder appearance for the White House South Lawn fight taking place on the president’s birthday, dubbed UFC Freedom 250.

On top of serving as secretary of State, Rubio had also taken on the roles of acting national security advisor, acting archivist and acting USAID administrator. Given his time spent negotiating peace talks between Israel and Lebanon, while Vance had come up empty on a deal with Iran, some suggested that the former Florida senator might be better suited for the task.

Of course, since a picture is worth a thousand words, social media users resorted to the meme format to suggest precisely how they envisioned Rubio participating in the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

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These included a “Lord of the Rings” reference with the secretary taking on the role of Gandalf asserting, “You Shall Not Pass!”; a “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” take where Rubio donned the attire of Viceroy Nute Gunray, infamous for his blockade of trade routes; and also as a member of the Navy in charge of preparing for the ultimately postponed “Bridges and Power Plants” Day alongside an actual seal.

While the vice president, who once joked Rubio would have to take over hosting late-night television, was also thrown in the mix as both are considered top picks to succeed Trump in the Oval Office, political events weren’t the only stories that the secretary was getting thrust into the middle of for sport.

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Having previously been nominated by the public to take on the role as head coach for sports’ teams, to be put in charge of both Cuba and Venezuela, and even to serve as pope, recent headlines had some suggesting Rubio be tasked with negotiating the end of a chimpanzee civil war in Uganda while others envisioned him taking on a role at Coachella where darling of the left Sabrina Carpenter had knelt down to the woke outrage mob after being critical of a fan for “yodeling” during a performance.

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Kevin Haggerty
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