Prior to becoming president, Rinkēvičs had represented Latvian Way, Reform Party, and the Unity party since May 2014. He left Unity after being elected president as it is customarily expected in Latvia for presidents to maintain political neutrality.
In November 2014, he publicly announced on his Twitter profile that he is gay, making him the first lawmaker in Latvia to announce his homosexuality. Upon election as the president of Latvia in 2023, Rinkēvičs became the first openly gay head of state in an EU country and the first ever openly gay president of any state. In addition to Latvian, he is fluent in English, Russian, and French.
In May 2023, Rinkēvičs stated that he is “single”, has no romantic partner, and refused to further elaborate on his private life.