President Donald Trump may appoint Senator Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State
Washington: According to sources cited by The New York Times and other US news agencies, Sen. Marco Rubio is anticipated to be named President-elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of State.
The US daily said on Monday (local time) that Rubio, a 53-year-old Republican senator from Florida, has been selected for the role, citing three individuals who are acquainted with Trump’s philosophy.
In preparation for his official inauguration in January 2025, Trump is assembling his national security and international policy team after defeating Democratic candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Earlier this year, Trump contemplated selecting Rubio as his running partner. According to the New York Times, Rubio, who was elected to the Senate in 2010, has established himself as a hawk in global affairs, taking strong stances against China and Iran in particular.
According to CNN, Trump first preferred former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell for the position before turning his attention to Rubio.
Rubio has expressed his belief that a Trump administration would mediate “a negotiated settlement” to put a stop to the conflict in Ukraine.
When Rubio and Trump were vying for the Republican Party’s presidential primary in 2016, they were fierce adversaries. Rubio had referred to Trump as a “con artist” at that point, and the president-elect enjoyed referring to the former as “Little Marco.”
Rubio, who graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in political science, was born to Cuban immigrants in Miami. After more than ten years in the state house, including as speaker, he was elected to the US Senate in 2010 as a senator representing Florida.
Rubio argued for Libyan involvement in 2011 while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he chastised then President Trump in 2019 for his plans to leave Syria and Afghanistan.
In a CNN interview after Trump’s victory, Rubio predicted that the US will see “pragmatic foreign policy” under Trump’s leadership.
“We’re entering into an era of pragmatic foreign policy in which the world is rapidly changing,” Rubio said during a CNN interview. “Adversaries are uniting—North Korea, Iran, China, and Russia are increasingly coordinating—it’s going to require us to be very pragmatic and wise in how we invest overseas and what we do,” according to reports.
Additionally, according to CNN, Fox News, and other media, Trump has asked Republican Senator Mike Waltz of Florida to be his national security advisor.
Additionally, according to Politico, Trump has said that he has appointed Lee Zeldin, a Republican senator from New York, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
A statement said that Zeldin, a Trump supporter, “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American business while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards.”
The president-elect named his border czar and White House chief of staff yesterday.
The New York Times claims that Trump’s top priorities are the attorney general, the director of the CIA, the White House counsel, and the secretaries of defense, state, and homeland security.
CNN reported that Trump nominated Republican Representative Elise Stefanik on Monday to be the next US Ambassador to the UN.
In a statement, Trump also hailed Stefanik as “an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.”.
Trump appointed Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under his previous administration, to oversee the country’s borders earlier yesterday.
According to CNN, Trump posted on Truth Social late Sunday, saying, “I am pleased to announce that the former ICE Director and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration in charge of our nation’s borders (“The Border Czar”), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all maritime, and aviation security.”
