Rubio's flights to son's Florida football games cost over $1.2 million, Post finds

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spent more than $1.2 million in taxpayer money on trips to Gainesville, Florida, to watch the University of Florida football team, according to a Washington Post investigation reported Wednesday ¹. His son Anthony is a walk-on running back for the team, the Gators ¹.

The Post found Rubio has attended at least 10 games in the last two seasons, including five this fall ¹. Of 23 trips to Gainesville on military aircraft, 15 were "personal" in nature, the newspaper reported ¹.

What the trips cost

The Post used published Defense Department hourly rates for each type of plane to calculate that the flights alone cost more than $1.2 million ¹. Raw Story, summarizing the Post's analysis, said military jets are billed at about $9,100 an hour ². Some trips used a larger Boeing C-32A, at about $18,600 an hour ².

Officials who use military transport must repay the government the price of an economy ticket ¹. The Post estimated Rubio's repayments at roughly $18,000 to $33,000 ². Rubio and the State Department declined to say how much he has actually paid back ¹.

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Rubio is barred from flying commercially because of security rules ¹. But the Post said his use of government transport "appears to significantly outpace that of his predecessors" ¹. Two former officials told the Post that Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden's secretary of state, took personal trips on government aircraft "only a couple of times a year" ¹.

Most recently, on Nov. 7, Rubio flew to Gainesville on an Air Force C-37 and was seen on the sideline as Florida lost 23-7 to Oklahoma ¹. Anthony Rubio did not play ¹. He has played in only four competitive games in four years, two of them this season ¹.

What Rubio and watchdogs say

In a statement to the Post, Rubio defended the travel ¹. The State Department's Dylan Johnson said the use of military aircraft was to "ensure continuity of operations, continuity of government and access to secure communications at all times" ¹.

I have and will continue to try and make it to as many events that are important to me personally and to my family as possible

Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel at the nonpartisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the travel looked "more of an optics issue than a violation" but deserved scrutiny ¹. She noted Rubio may not be doing anything "technically improper," yet he alone decides how often and how far he travels ¹.

The Buttigieg comparison

When he was a Florida senator, Rubio asked for a review of then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's use of government jets for personal trips ¹. The department's inspector general cleared Buttigieg of wrongdoing; he took eight trips at a total cost of $59,000 ¹.

American taxpayers deserve assurances that their tax dollars are not wasted by the government’s highest officials

That matters because it sets the standard Rubio himself put on the record. The $59,000 figure is less than one-twentieth of the Post's estimate for Rubio's tab, according to Raw Story's summary of the Post report ².

No new investigation has been announced in the coverage we reviewed. The Guardian said it had contacted the watchdog group and the State Department for comment ¹. The coverage we reviewed carried no response from Democrats in Congress ². Democrats take control of the House in January and have said they plan oversight of Trump officials.

The Record

1. Nov 7, 2026Rubio flew to Gainesville on an Air Force C-37 and watched Florida lose 23-7 to Oklahoma; his son did not play ¹.
2. Nov 11, 2026The Washington Post reported Rubio's flights to Gainesville cost more than $1.2 million; 15 of 23 trips were personal ¹.

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<h2>Rubio&#39;s flights to son&#39;s Florida football games cost over $1.2 million, Post finds</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/rubio-s-flights-to-son-s-florida-football-games-cost-over-1-2-million-post-finds">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.</em></p> <p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spent more than $1.2 million in taxpayer money on trips to Gainesville, Florida, to watch the University of Florida football team, according to a Washington Post investigation reported Wednesday . His son Anthony is a walk-on running back for the team, the Gators .</p> <p>The Post found Rubio has attended at least 10 games in the last two seasons, including five this fall . Of 23 trips to Gainesville on military aircraft, 15 were &quot;personal&quot; in nature, the newspaper reported .</p> <h2>What the trips cost</h2> <p>The Post used published Defense Department hourly rates for each type of plane to calculate that the flights alone cost more than $1.2 million . Raw Story, summarizing the Post&#39;s analysis, said military jets are billed at about $9,100 an hour . Some trips used a larger Boeing C-32A, at about $18,600 an hour .</p> <p>Officials who use military transport must repay the government the price of an economy ticket . The Post estimated Rubio&#39;s repayments at roughly $18,000 to $33,000 . Rubio and the State Department declined to say how much he has actually paid back .</p> <p>Rubio is barred from flying commercially because of security rules . But the Post said his use of government transport &quot;appears to significantly outpace that of his predecessors&quot; . Two former officials told the Post that Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden&#39;s secretary of state, took personal trips on government aircraft &quot;only a couple of times a year&quot; .</p> <p>Most recently, on Nov. 7, Rubio flew to Gainesville on an Air Force C-37 and was seen on the sideline as Florida lost 23-7 to Oklahoma . Anthony Rubio did not play . He has played in only four competitive games in four years, two of them this season .</p> <h2>What Rubio and watchdogs say</h2> <p>In a statement to the Post, Rubio defended the travel . The State Department&#39;s Dylan Johnson said the use of military aircraft was to &quot;ensure continuity of operations, continuity of government and access to secure communications at all times&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>I have and will continue to try and make it to as many events that are important to me personally and to my family as possible</p><p>&mdash; Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel at the nonpartisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the travel looked &quot;more of an optics issue than a violation&quot; but deserved scrutiny . She noted Rubio may not be doing anything &quot;technically improper,&quot; yet he alone decides how often and how far he travels .</p> <h2>The Buttigieg comparison</h2> <p>When he was a Florida senator, Rubio asked for a review of then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg&#39;s use of government jets for personal trips . The department&#39;s inspector general cleared Buttigieg of wrongdoing; he took eight trips at a total cost of $59,000 .</p> <blockquote><p>American taxpayers deserve assurances that their tax dollars are not wasted by the government’s highest officials</p><p>&mdash; Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, Republican; then a U.S. senator from Florida</p></blockquote> <p>That matters because it sets the standard Rubio himself put on the record. The $59,000 figure is less than one-twentieth of the Post&#39;s estimate for Rubio&#39;s tab, according to Raw Story&#39;s summary of the Post report .</p> <p>No new investigation has been announced in the coverage we reviewed. The Guardian said it had contacted the watchdog group and the State Department for comment . The coverage we reviewed carried no response from Democrats in Congress . Democrats take control of the House in January and have said they plan oversight of Trump officials.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/rubio-s-flights-to-son-s-florida-football-games-cost-over-1-2-million-post-finds">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/rubio-s-flights-to-son-s-florida-football-games-cost-over-1-2-million-post-finds.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Guardian, “Marco Rubio spent over $1.2m of taxpayer money traveling to son’s football games” (2026-11-11). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/11/marco-rubio-travel-costs
2. Raw Story, “Rubio's old words come back to bite him as his $1.2M football travel tab is exposed” (2026-11-11). rawstory.com/marco-rubio-travel-new-words/

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