Trump picked his hawkish former rival to be the next US Secretary of State.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio speaks to the media during a news conference on March 11, 2016, in West Palm Beach, Florida
Putting an end to days of speculation, United States President-elect Donald Trump nominated Florida Senator Marco Rubio to lead the State Department under the incoming administration.
The choice of his former political rival had been rumoured for days and signals the new administration’s commitment to a hawkish foreign policy.
A Cuban American known for his hardline views on China and staunch support for Israel, Rubio would be the first Hispanic American to serve as Washington’s top diplomat if confirmed to the role.
“Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom,” Trump wrote in a statement announcing his choice on Wednesday. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.”
Trump also tapped former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence.
His relationship with Trump has shifted significantly since the two first faced off in the 2016 presidential primary and Rubio appears to have adapted his views on issues such as the war in Ukraine and immigration policies to Trump’s.
In 2016, Trump famously mocked Rubio’s physical stature, branding him “Little Marco”. For his part, Rubio derided his rival, calling him “Small Hands Trump”.
Compared to his soon-to-be boss, Rubio is more of a traditional interventionist when it comes to foreign policy, advocating for a muscular approach to foreign conflicts while Trump’s foreign policy has focused on avoiding military interventions abroad.
This has, at times, moved Rubio to publicly criticise Trump’s foreign policy, including in 2019 when he accused the then-president of “abandoning” the US military effort in Syria before it was “completely finished”.
Rubio heads a group of like-minded Cuban Americans in Congress seeking to prod US foreign policy in Latin America in a more conservative direction.
From ‘Little Marco’ to Secretary of State
Since his election to the US Senate in 2010, Rubio has staked out a reputation for holding hawkish views on US adversaries such as China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. He has also staunchly backed Israel’s war in Gaza, telling a peace activist last year that Hamas was “100 percent to blame” for the deaths of Palestinians in the enclave.
“I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on,” Rubio said in a confrontation with Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin in December.
“These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes, and I hope you guys post that because that’s my position.”
Rubio currently serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on Foreign Relations.
