U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Credit: Rubio U.S. Senate
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to serve as secretary of state in his new administration.
“Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice of Freedom,” Trump said in a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon. “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. I look forward to working with Marco to Make America, and the World, Safe and Great Again!”
The 53-year-old Miamian now serves on both the Select Committee on Intelligence (where he is vice chair) and Committee on Foreign Relations, and he’s established a reputation during his 14 years in the Senate of taking a hawkish approach to U.S. foreign policy.
If confirmed by the Senate, the Cuban American Rubio would become the first Hispanic to serve as the country’s top diplomat.
Like so many others in the Republican world, Rubio was at one point a bitter enemy of Trump, specifically when the two competed for the GOP nomination for president in 2016. That ultimately wasn’t much of a battle, with Rubio dropping out after Trump defeated him in the Florida presidential primary that spring. Rubio carried only his home county of Miami-Dade, losing the other 66 to Trump.
But the two reportedly worked closely on Latin-American issues during Trump’s first term in office, where Rubio’s strong anti-Cuban government stance helped him persuade Trump to repeal many of the policies trying to reestablish relations put place when Barack Obama was president.
Ukraine
Rubio has seemed to merge with Trump in recent months on the issue of Ukraine. In interviews, he has said that Ukraine needs to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia rather than focus on regaining the territory the invader has taken in the last decade.
“In the case of Ukraine, who wants war?” Rubio told the Today Show last week. “What he’s talking about is that he wants the war to end. As a businessman, he’s not going to tell you about his negotiating tactics to bring it to a close. But I don’t understand why we would not want a war like that to end. Obviously, you don’t have to be a fan of Vladimir Putin to want the war to end.”
“They don’t admit it publicly, but if you ask the Biden administration they will tell you we are funding a stalemate,” he continued.
“I think the Ukrainians have been incredibly brave and strong in standing up to Russia. But at the end of the day, what we are funding here is a stalemate war, and it needs to be brought to a conclusion, or that country is going to be set back 100 years. That doesn’t mean that we celebrate what Vladimir Putin did or are excited about it, but I think there has to also be some common sense here.”
Rubio was one of 15 GOP senators who voted against a $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine in April.
Rubio has always previously supported NATO, whereas Trump has been critical of the alliance. During Trump’s first term in office, Rubio co-sponsored legislation to make it harder for an American president to withdraw from NATO by requiring a two-thirds of the Senate to ratify withdrawal, as reported by Reuters.
“I think you’re going to continue to hear him say, ‘We’re not against this alliance,’ but it has to be a real alliance,” Rubio said on the Fox News Channel last week.
“And rich countries in this alliance have to do their fair share of contribution. In the end, they are the closest in proximity to the problem. I don’t think that’s unrealistic. I think the average, everyday person in America would say that makes all the sense in the world.”
Wunderkind
His nomination and likely confirmation as secretary of state is the latest achievement for Rubio, who began his career in public service in 1998 when he was elected to serve on the West Miami City Commission. In January 2000 he won a special election for a seat representing Miami in the Florida House of Representatives and, in 2006, he became speaker of the Florida House.
Although Charlie Crist had already declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2009, Rubio emerged as a conservative star that year, ultimately forcing Crist to drop out of the primary and run as an independent. Rubio won the seat easily and was re-elected in 2016 and 2022.
In previous times, most Cabinet picks, unless controversial, received bipartisan support. Whether that’s the case for Rubio will be determined when his nomination comes before the chamber. Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman on Tuesday called Rubio “a strong choice and I look forward to voting for his confirmation.”
Rubio’s departure means that Gov. Ron DeSantis now has the opportunity to name a replacement for Rubio until 2026, when a special election would select someone to serve out the remaining two years of his term.
A variety of names have been floated, with some analysts contending the front runners include DeSantis’ chief of staff James Uthmeier, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez, and Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of Donald Trump and co-chair of the Republican National Committee.