How ready is Marco Rubio to break with the Republican economic agenda?

It's a question posed by a fascinating new "Lexington" column in The Economist. The Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, who sat down with the piece's author for a lengthy interview, describes a changing economy that requires a flexible federal government. Most interestingly, Rubio seems to hint that cutting taxes and stripping regulations alone will not solve the economic challenges of working class Americans.

That's a starkly different message than the one coming from Donald Trump, the Republican president.

"Our tax cuts…will unleash the American worker; they will tear down the restraints on discovery, innovation, and creation; and they will restore the hopes and dreams of the American family," Trump said in a major December tax speech.

If the Economist story is any indication, Rubio, who voted for the GOP tax plan, may not totally agree. Here are three eye-popping quotes from Rubio's hourlong sit down with the British magazine.

1. "If we basically say everyone is on their own and the market's going to take care of it, we will rip the country apart, because millions of good hardworking people lack the means to adapt."

The anonymous Economist columnist notes that Rubio believes that the federal government has a responsibility to help people adapt to a rapidly changing economy. That is a subtle but important deviation from conservative orthodoxy, the columnist writes.

Some of Rubio's ideas "imply a serious reconsideration of the pre-eminent conservative ideals: a minimal government role in the economy and a related view of liberty as 'freedom from' government interference," the columnist writes. "Economic liberty, in this retelling, becomes something the government is required to guarantee."

This is not to say Rubio has become an economic liberal. Other conservatives believe in many of the specific policy proposals Rubio has floated. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, not exactly a Marxist, helped Rubio push the expanded child tax credit that eventually became a part of the GOP tax bill. Still, a conservative senator advocating for a more active government is noteworthy.

Read more: Marco Rubio: GOP tax bill may have gone 'too far' in helping corporations

2. "The future is going to happen…I have no problem with bringing back American car-manufacturing facilities, but, whether they're American robots or Mexican robots, they're going to be highly automated."

President Trump seldom publicly grapples with the idea that American manufacturing jobs are being lost to automation. Instead, Trump prefers to focus on the effect of trade on manufacturing. Rubio mentioning automation is far from revolutionary, but the Economist columnist argues that it's a notable deviation from the tone often struck by the commander-in-chief.

The columnist put it bluntly: "(Rubio's) implication that Republicans have found no good answer to the problems Mr Trump described is irrefutable. The president's scheme to revive the 1970s economy through protectionism and deregulation is unrealistic, as Mr Rubio—who these days dares not criticise Mr Trump—cannot help but acknowledge."

3. "There is still a lot of thinking on the right that if big corporations are happy, they're going to take the money they're saving and reinvest it in American workers…In fact they bought back shares, a few gave out bonuses; there's no evidence whatsoever that the money's been massively poured back into the American worker."

Rubio has long been critical of some of the more conglomerate-friendly aspects of the GOP tax plan, which slashed the corporate tax rate. But to see him in effect make the case against the logic behind a major part of the bill is striking, the Economist argues.

"Most Republican congressmen…remain entranced by the limited-government shibboleths (Rubio) has shaken off," the columnist wrote.

The extent to which Rubio will a.) lay out an economic agenda beyond individual policy proposals like expanded vocational training and paid family leave, and b.) convince fellow Republicans of his message remains to be seen. But the junior senator from Florida continues to be a national political figure worth watching.

From the archives: Rise and stall: The political trajectory of Marco Rubio