Donald Trump used to mock him as “Little Marco.” Marco Rubio used to consider Trump a “con artist.” But the two Floridians have patched things up in the years since they were 2016 presidential primary rivals, and now Rubio stands to take on a top post in Trump’s second administration: secretary of state.
Rubio had originally been under consideration as Trump’s running mate before the former president decided on JD Vance. The Florida senator is now said to be the pick to lead the State Department, where he’d help implement the president-elect’s so-called “America First” foreign policy with Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick for United Nations ambassador, and Florida Representative Michael Waltz, his pick for national security adviser.
At first glance, Rubio would make an uneasy avatar for that generally isolationist doctrine, given his more traditional Republican interventionist approach to global affairs. But as he morphed from 2016 Trump critic to staunch Trump loyalist, Rubio has also adopted a more Trumpian approach to foreign policy—a shift reflected in his weakening support for Ukraine. When Vladimir Putin first began his invasion in 2022, Rubio believed it was “important just to rally support for Ukraine here in America.” Two years later, Rubio voted against aid to Kyiv, and said in September that the conflict would likely end with a “negotiated settlement” rather than a victory for Ukraine.
Trump, seeking to capitalize on Americans’ divisions over the war in Gaza, has cast himself as a kind of foreign policy dove, promising to achieve “peace through strength,” as he put it in announcing his Stefanik pick. Rubio, meanwhile, has described Trump’s foreign policy vision as “pragmatic.”
But the expected selection of Rubio, a China hawk and staunch supporter of Israel, underscores the aggressive tack the Trump administration is expected to take with Beijing. Rubio is also known for his strong support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is likely to enjoy more American aid amid his bombardment of Gaza and escalating tensions with Iran. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s right-wing finance minister, said Trump’s victory gave the country “an important opportunity” to annex settlements on the West Bank.
Rubio, currently the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, had been seen as one of the “less MAGA” options for the role, as a Trump ally put it to NBC News. (Others under consideration included Ric Grenell, Trump’s former acting NSA director.) But, as another Trump ally told the outlet, “While Marco is a little more hawkish than the incoming president and vice president, he’s actually not as far away from them as many people might assume at first blush.”
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