Throwback video shows Marco Rubio in screaming match with Donald Trump during tense debate

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It's been almost ten years, but a fiery exchange from the 2016 Republican primary debates is suddenly everywhere again. The reason? People are starting to wonder if Marco Rubio now serving as Trump's Secretary of State might be quietly positioning himself for a presidential run in 2028.

An X account called Cryptid Politics summed up the mood when they posted the old debate clip with the caption: "Take a look at what he did to Trump in 2016. This guy is absolutely one of the 2028 favorites." The post spread fast, pulling in thousands of reactions from users who either never saw the original exchange or had simply forgotten just how sharp Rubio was that night.

The Debate That Had Everyone Talking

The clip is genuinely something. Rubio came loaded with lines, and he wasn't shy about using them.

When the topic of immigration came up, Rubio took a direct swing at Trump's signature issue the border wall saying that if Trump built it the way he built Trump Tower, he'd probably be using undocumented labor to do it. The crowd erupted. Trump, clearly irritated, brushed it off as a cute sound bite. Rubio fired right back, telling him it wasn't a sound bite it was a documented fact and invited anyone watching to look it up themselves.

Things escalated quickly from there. Trump went after Rubio's business credentials, dismissing him as someone who loses at everything. Rubio didn't flinch. He reminded Trump and everyone watching that he wouldn't know the first thing about going bankrupt four times over, because that's not something most people need to learn.

He also brought up Trump University, noting that students had borrowed tens of thousands of dollars to attend, only to end up suing him. That wasn't a hypothetical attack. Trump eventually settled those lawsuits in 2018 for $25 million, though he never acknowledged any wrongdoing.

Even debate host Wolf Blitzer struggled to keep order as the two candidates bulldozed over everyone else on stage.

"He'd Be Selling Watches in Manhattan"

Perhaps the moment that got the biggest reaction then and now was when Rubio called Trump out for being, as many people put it, a textbook nepo baby. He told the audience that without a $200 million inheritance, Trump would probably be hawking watches on a Manhattan street corner. The crowd went absolutely wild.

Rubio kept going, rattling off a list of inconsistencies and outright falsehoods from Trump's record everything from taxes to his use of immigrant workers. He capped it off with a sardonic line about there apparently being a statute of limitations on lies.

Reactions online have been pretty enthusiastic. One user wrote that they always knew Rubio had that killer instinct when he wanted to use it. Another made a more pointed observation noting that Trump seemed noticeably sharper and quicker in 2016 compared to how he speaks today.

Is Rubio Actually Running in 2028?

The renewed interest in the clip isn't just nostalgia. It comes after Rubio posted what many described as a deeply patriotic video laying out his vision for America the kind of content that tends to precede a presidential announcement.

While Vice President JD Vance has generally been seen as the heir apparent to Trump's political movement, recent reporting from Politico suggests Vance could be walking into serious trouble in 2028. His close alignment with Trump's agenda, which has become increasingly controversial, may end up working against him particularly if the administration continues to lose support among voters who helped put it there.

A fresh Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll paints a stark picture. Trump's disapproval rating has climbed to 62%, a record high across both of his terms. His overall approval now sits at just 37%, with critics pointing to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, rising inflation, and the growing cost of living as the main drivers of that decline. For Vance, whose political identity is tightly wound up with Trump's, that's a potentially toxic inheritance.

One X user laid it out bluntly, arguing that no one currently inside the Trump orbit stands a realistic shot at winning a general election in 2028. They pointed to what they called unrecoverable damage with independent voters citing the Iran situation and allegations of insider trading as the key factors poisoning the well.

Whether Rubio formally announces a run or not, one thing is clear: that old debate clip has reminded a lot of people that he knows exactly how to fight and that he's already done it once before, against the very man he now works for.

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