Secretary of State Marco Rubio has leaned into online ridicule over a Vanity Fair photo spread by swapping his X profile picture to one of the most-divisive images—prompting Vice President JD Vance to pile on with a quip that quickly took off.
“I guess I owe that guy $1,000,” Vance wrote, alluding to a reported exchange with the photographer.
Why It Matters
On Tuesday, December 16, Vanity Fair shared an exclusive interview with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and portraits with key figures in the Trump administration. The series includes portraits of Wiles, Vice President JD Vance, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the Director of the Presidential Personnel Office Dan Scavino, and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political, and Public Affairs, James Blair.
The portraits, taken by renowned political photographer Christopher Anderson, have caused a stir online, and one picture of Secretary of State Rubio standing sideways looking down at the floor has been particularly highlighted.
What To Know
Rubio drew renewed attention to the controversy on Wednesday when he updated his X profile picture to the image from Vanity Fair’s recent two-part article.
The photograph, taken by Anderson, has quickly become emblematic of broader complaints from administration officials about how the magazine portrayed them.
As Rubio appeared to poke fun at the moment by using the image as his profile picture, Vance also appeared to join in.
Within minutes, he posted a comment that said: “I guess I owe that guy $1,000.”
The comment referred to a joking exchange Vance reportedly had with Anderson during the White House photo shoot last month. According to The New York Times, Vance told the photographer: “I’ll give you $100 for every person you make look really s***** compared to me. And $1,000 if it’s Marco.”
The Vanity Fair photos, which included tight close-ups of several senior officials, triggered backlash from allies of the administration, who have accused the magazine of deliberately casting the White House team in an unflattering light.
What People Are Saying
Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X viewed over 1.4 million times: “It is obvious to most people that Vanity Fair deliberately manipulated pictures and reported statements without context to try and make the WH team look bad.”
Photographer Christopher Anderson said in an email shared with Newsweek: “I think the internet is a weird and sometimes entertaining place. Obviously, I assumed photos of the political world would generate some attention. It is curious that the internet is shocked that I would not retouch the blemishes. I guess I find it shocking that people would expect that journalistic photos should be retouched. Celebrity photos are celebrity photos. Politicians are not celebrities. Let’s not mix things up.”
What Happens Next
While Rubio’s profile-picture switch and Vance’s wisecrack appear to have momentarily diffused the tension with humor, the episode reflects a deeper and ongoing struggle between the Trump administration and major media outlets over narrative control.
In November, the White House announced a new website section titled “Media Offender of the Week,” dedicated to identifying what it describes as misleading coverage by news organizations.
The “Hall of Shame” spotlighting major outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, and CBS News, along with claims the administration labels as biased or false reporting.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump filed a $10 billion libel lawsuit against the BBC, seeking $5 billion in damages, accusing the BBC Panorama documentary episode “Trump: A Second Chance?” of being misleading.