US secretary of state Marco Rubio visited the Taj Mahal here on Monday along with his wife Jeanette Rubio and described the monument as “one of the true treasures of the world” after spending nearly an hour at the 17th-century white marble mausoleum amid intense heatwave conditions in Agra.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio with his wife Jeanette Rubio at the Taj Mahal in Agra on Monday (Sourced)
Accompanied by Sergio Gor, the US ambassador to India, the couple wrote in the visitors’ book, “Thank you for allowing us to visit one of the true treasures of the World.”
Dressed in a black suit and white shirt, Rubio arrived at the Taj Mahal with Jeanette Rubio, who wore a sky-blue gown. The couple posed for photographs at the Diana seat near the central tank and toured different sections of the monument despite temperatures hovering around 45 degrees Celsius in Agra over the past week.
The delegation landed at Kheria Technical Airport at around 9:15 am before proceeding to a hotel near the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal. From there, they travelled in an environment-friendly golf cart to the monument, as petrol and diesel vehicles are barred within a 500-metre radius of the Taj Mahal under Supreme Court directions.
Guide Nitin Singh, who accompanied the visitors, said the couple spent around 50 minutes exploring the monument and showed keen interest in its art and architecture. “They asked questions about the architect and how many people were involved in the construction of the Taj Mahal,” Singh said.
According to the guide, Rubio was aware of the monument’s history and also enquired about the place where Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was allegedly kept captive by his son Aurangzeb.
The couple also posed for photographs at different spots inside the complex, including the marble platform near the central tank, and reportedly said they would like to return with their children.
Rubio’s visit comes nearly a year after US vice president JD Vance visited the Taj Mahal on April 23, 2025.
Earlier, US president Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump visited the Taj Mahal in 2020 and spent more than an hour at the monument.
Former US president Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea Clinton had also visited the Taj Mahal in 2000.
