Marco Rubio’s stimming and facial tics have some people doing a double take at the State Department chief.
The Secretary of State held an end-of-year press briefing on December 19 to bolster praise for the accomplishments of President Donald Trump’s administration. Instead, he raised concerns about his appearance.
Between the lip biting, the scratching of his head, rapid blinking, incessant mouth movements, and quick speech, hecklers were convinced Rubio’s odd physical behaviors had to have been fueled by a controlled substance.
As one X user put it, “He’s never usually that animated,” an observation that many other X users also noticed.
The X account Call to Activism tweeted, “Is Marco Rubio this jittery because he’s on drugs? He looks like he’s halfway down the white mountain,” inciting hundreds of people who were quick to chime in with theories to explain Rubio’s peculiar conduct.
One spectator commented, “Dude looks like he’s running on fumes and Adderall.” One of the responses pointed out that there was “a lot of nose wiping there.” A third person comically described the scene as, “Marco Rubio stood at the podium vibrating like a phone on silent. Constant sniffing. He even did the classic coke-nose swipe and check.”
A fourth eagle-eyed speculator mentioned that there was more to critique about Rubio’s appearance than his quirky movements. They commented, “Aside from tweaking dry mouth he’s also lost some weight.”
Is Marco Rubio this jittery because he’s on drugs?
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) December 21, 2025
He looks like he’s halfway down the white mountain.
pic.twitter.com/S772orXmM3
Others, though, attributed the bizarre display to the company the former Florida senator keeps. “He’s jittery and sweaty because he’s not as good at the pathological lying as Trump is. Just because he sold his soul to kiss up to Trump, doesn’t mean he’s as skillful in the art of [BS] as Trump is,” said a detractor.
Several people pointed a finger at Donald Trump Jr., who has long been accused of using cocaine despite his vehement denial of the claims. One of the comments dragging him into the discourse states, “How else can he get through his days in crazy trumptown? He’s Jr’s buddy, what do you expect?”
Rubio and other key players in Trump’s inner circle are regularly ridiculed for their political alliances. As the year draws to a close, Vanity Fair added to the rampant takedown efforts of naysayers with a two-part story.
Chief of staff Susie Wiles spoke about Rubio’s conversion from a Trump critic to ally. “Marco was not the sort of person that would violate his principles. He just won’t. And so, he had to get there,” she told the publication.
Wiles’ scathing remarks, which she later claimed were twisted out of context, were accompanied in the controversial feature by unflattering portraits, including close-ups likened to mugshots.
In one image, Rubio stood at an awkward slant as he stared down at his feet. In a second photograph, he appeared even more despondent. “The life has drained from the man’s eyes,” an Instagram user commented.
Regardless of what the public thinks of Rubio, Trump is convinced he’s the greatest Secretary of State the country has ever had — a declaration that many people would gladly debate je claims about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being the “least qualified” for his position as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
