Rubio denies plans to leave post for White House bid

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed reports on Thursday that he was planning to leave the Trump administration as he weighs his next moves after Republicans' losses in the midterm elections, according to The New York Times.

It has "always been my plan" to work for President Donald Trump until the end of his term, Rubio told The Times in an interview.

Rubio, who also serves as Trump's national security adviser, is widely considered a potential successor to Trump in the 2028 presidential race.

Just days before Tuesday's midterm elections, he made an unusual appearance alongside the US leader on the campaign trail, briefly stepping up to the podium to address a cheering crowd at a rally.

Rubio declined to answer questions about his political future on Thursday, however, saying: "I literally will not talk about 2028 anymore."

On reports that he was considering leaving the Trump administration, he told The New York Times: "I don't know where these things come from, to be honest with you."

Earlier on Thursday, Bloomberg News reported that Rubio was weighing whether to leave the administration.

The report added that Rubio had spoken to White House officials about stepping down and was asked to stay.

But the State Department has hit back sharply against reports that Rubio might leave.

Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for global public affairs, called the Bloomberg article "totally made up".

He also called a report by news outlet The Independent, which said Rubio was planning to launch a bid for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, "completely baseless fake news".

Rubio has previously said that he would support Vice President JD Vance if he ran for president.