President-elect of the United States Donald Trump is assembling his future administration at full speed.
He is about to become the new foreign minister Marco Rubioseveral US media reports.
Rubio is a 53-year-old Republican senator from Florida. He would be the first Latino US Secretary of State.
With the appointment, Trump can aim to strengthen his administration’s relationship with Latino voters, assesses the news agency Reuters.
Latino voters have previously been strongly behind the Democratic Party. In last week’s presidential election, a significant number of Latinos turned to Trump’s supporters.
Neither Rubio nor Trump have commented on the news about Rubio’s possible election.
For example, a newspaper of The New York Times according to sources, Trump may still change his decision at the last minute. However, the magazine does not consider it likely.
put together five questions about what Rubio’s appointment might mean.
1. What is the relationship between Trump and Rubio?
Trump considered Marco Rubio as his running mate before settling on the Ohio senator To JD Vance.
According to several sources, Rubio was close to being among the candidates. Although the choice did not go to Rubio, he faithfully campaigned with Trump during the fall.
The relationship between the two has not always been this harmonious.
In 2016, Rubio ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. Trump called Rubio “little Marco”. Rubio, on the other hand, talked about Trump’s “small hands” and timidly attacked Trump’s politics in the pre-election debate. There was disagreement over, among other things, immigration.
Unlike now, in 2016 the Republican Party was not unanimously behind Trump’s candidacy.
During Trump’s first term, Rubio served as the president’s unofficial foreign policy adviser.
2. What is Rubio’s foreign policy experience?
Rubio has years of experience in foreign policy and national security. He is the Vice Chairman of the US Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Rubio was first elected to the Senate in 2010. At that time, he was known as a representative of the so-called tea party movement.
It was about a conservative movement born within the Republican Party, which wanted, among other things, to reduce the size of the public sector. The movement took its name from the Boston Tea Party, which was a protest against British colonial rule and its taxation in 1773 during the American struggle for independence.
3. What line is Rubio known for?
Rubio is known as a “hawk” in foreign policy. He demanded of the Democratic presidents From Barack Obama and From Joe Biden more aggressive policy, for example, in relation to China and Iran. Over time, the stricter China line has become mainstream in both parties.
Among other things, Rubio was pushing for legislation that would ban the importation of products made by Uyghur forced labor in China to the United States. Biden signed into law in 2022.
During the Gaza war, Rubio has advocated solid US support for Israel.
Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants. He has criticized Obama and Biden for being soft in relation to the authoritarian countries of Latin America, in addition to Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Rubio has opposed the normalization of US relations with Cuba.
Rubio would bring so-called more traditional Republican views to Trump’s foreign policy team, interprets Politico magazine.
It means that Rubio is a “hawk” in relation to his opponents, but has advocated nurturing relations with allies. In Trump’s first term, Rubio was pushing legislation that would make it more difficult for the president to withdraw from the military alliance NATO.
4. What does Rubio intend for Ukraine?
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is expected to be high on Rubio’s agenda. For example, Ukrainian Kyiv Post newspaper doesn’t think this is just good.
Recently, Rubio has aligned himself with Trump regarding the war in Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly said that he can end the war in 24 hours. Supporters of Ukraine in Europe fear that this means that Trump would like Ukraine to agree, for example, to hand over its territories to Russia.
“At the end of the day, we’re funding a deadlocked war, and that needs to be resolved,” Rubio said in a television interview last week.
According to him, the solution would be through negotiation.
Rubio was one of 15 Republican senators who last spring voted against a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine.
5. What is known about the composition of the Trump administration now?
News channel CBS News according to sources, Trump has selected the congressman from Florida by Michael Waltz as national security adviser. Like Rubio, Waltz is also known as a “hawk” when it comes to China.
Trump has appointed as chief of staff by Susie Wileswho was one of Trump’s campaign managers. Trump appointed a New York congressman as the US ambassador to the UN Elise Stefanik too.
Trump has appointed the “border islands” responsible for the borders of the United States by Tom Homanwho has served as Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Homan has been involved in drafting the Project2025 plan. The conservative think tank’s plan envisions the dismantling of US public institutions.
Some appointments can be made directly by Trump, some require Senate approval. Trump’s Republican Party won a majority in the Senate in last week’s elections. The seats in the House of Representatives are still being counted.