US President-elect Donald Trump officially announced on Wednesday that he is nominating Republican Senator Marco Rubio, the ranking member of the Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees and a former political rival, for Secretary of State.
“He will be a staunch defender of our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a courageous warrior who will never back down from our adversaries,” Trump said in a statement.
This choice may come as a relief to US partners who are concerned about the possibility of the Trump administration withdrawing from its global network of alliances, including NATO, given Trump’s more “America first” approach to foreign affairs.
Rumors about Rubio’s selection sparked criticism from some members of the Republican Party who saw his foreign policy views as too traditional and internationalist.
Rubio, 53, is known as a China hawk, an outspoken critic of Cuba’s communist government and a staunch supporter of Israel. He has in the past called for a more assertive US foreign policy regarding America’s geopolitical enemies, although more recently his views have become more closely aligned with Trump’s “America First” approach to foreign policy.
In April, Rubio was one of 15 Republican senators who voted against a major military aid package to help Ukraine resist Russia and support other US partners, including Israel. Trump criticized Democratic President Joe Biden’s continued military assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders.
Rubio has said in recent interviews that Kiev needs to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia rather than focus on reclaiming all the territory Moscow has seized in the past decade.
Rubio is a top Senate hawk on China, and Beijing imposed sanctions on him in 2020 over his stance on democracy protests in Hong Kong. This could create difficulties for any attempts to maintain the Biden administration’s efforts to maintain diplomatic engagement with Beijing to avoid unintended conflict.
Will he stand up to Trump?
Rubio has also become a vocal supporter of Trump, after harshly criticizing him when he ran against the former real estate developer in 2016.
In 2016, Trump helped end Rubio’s presidential bid by calling him “Little Marco.”
Some analysts wondered whether he would stand up to Trump, noting the president-elect’s tendency to make personal loyalty a prerequisite for administrative positions.
Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said it is imperative that any president’s advisers stand up to him when necessary, given the wide range of foreign policy challenges Trump will face. face.
“I try to keep an open mind here,” Miller said, noting that Rubio, because of his experience in Congress, has a better understanding of foreign policy than any of Trump’s other appointees.
The three-term Republican senator is expected to be easily confirmed in the Senate, where Trump’s Republicans will have a majority of at least 52-48 starting in January.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner, Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, quickly issued a statement praising the selection of Rubio, Vice Chairman of the Committee.
“I have worked with Marco Rubio for more than a decade on the Intelligence Committee, especially closely in the last two years in his role as Vice Chairman, and although we do not always agree, he is smart and talented, and he will be.” “He is a powerful voice for American interests around the world,” Warner said in a statement.
Rubio, the son of immigrants from Cuba, will be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat.