Rubio ripped for posing for grinning photo with ex-Proud Boys leader at Florida summit [View all]

Source: The Independent

Monday 09 March 2026 10:31 EDT


Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows over the weekend after posing for a photo with former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio while attending the first Shield of the Americas summit in Miami, Florida.

Tarrio, a far-right activist whose 22-year sentence for his role in the January 6 attack was commuted by President Donald Trump last year, posted a photo of himself and Rubio on Saturday, calling the secretary of state “by far the best” choice for Trump’s cabinet.

“Proud of this Cuban!” Tarrio captioned the photo of him giving Rubio a thumbs-up, adding, in Spanish, “down with communism.”

But the photo attracted attention from former lawmakers, liberal groups and media commentators who scolded Rubio for posing with Tarrio, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and obstruction of Congress, among other charges. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former Democratic congresswoman representing Florida, wrote, “I don’t understand how [Rubio] would happily pose with a man convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.”

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/marco-rubio-enrique-tarrio-florida-b2934781.html