Marco Rubio receives family tree tracing Italian heritage

A newly presented genealogical record tracing his Italian roots has prompted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider learning Italian.

During a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Rome on Friday, May 8, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani presented Rubio with a family tree outlining his origins in the Piedmont region, according to Italian media.

Reacting to the gesture, Rubio said: “It’s a special moment — to receive all this information. It’s an incredible experience and another reason to return soon, to visit the region, learn more about it and connect with the past. I hope this will also inspire us to work together in the future.”

Rubio, whose parents were Cuban and of Spanish and Italian descent, and who already speaks Spanish, said the experience had motivated him to begin learning Italian.

“My subscription to (the language-learning app) Babbel has expired, so I need to renew it. I understand Italian very well. At the meetings we attend together, I don’t even wear headphones. I understand it perfectly. I need to learn a third language, and this is the easiest one. So next time I come to this region, I will deliver a speech in Italian,” he added, referring to Tajani, who was standing beside him.

By Tamilla Hasanova