Reporting indicates President-elect Donald Trump will choose Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as his nominee for Secretary of State. The Florida senator has been a loyal and vocal supporter of Trump, even when that was not politically advantageous. He has consistently championed Trump’s views on foreign policy, particularly about Iran, China, Venezuela, and Russia. However, many believe his hawkish and interventionist international policy views will be problematic.
Rubio on the Same Page as Trump
Consistent with Trump’s willingness to take on adversaries, Rubio recognizes the threats the United States faces and is likely to engage them aggressively. This foreign policy stance has put the senator at variance with many of his more conservative colleagues in the Senate. Additionally, there is speculation that some within the Trump transition team have serious reservations about him. “Mr. Rubio is challenging the strain of isolationism emanating from some grass-roots conservatives and building a reputation as an internationalist willing to deploy American power,” The New York Times asserted in 2013. However, perhaps what really counts is that he is solidly on the same page as the president-elect, and there is every indication that is the case.
The Florida senator has been critical of the Biden administration for not being tougher on Iran and continues to favor more intrusive engagement with Tehran’s leadership. “Regarding Iran, Rubio has also long supported a hardline policy, endorsing tougher sanctions and measures to curb the country’s nuclear ambitions,” The Latin Times explained. As a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, the senator has found himself mostly aligned with Trump but in opposition to colleagues who favor continued military and financial support to Ukraine.
“Despite speaking in hardline terms about Russia in the past, Mr. Rubio would likely go along with Mr. Trump’s expected plans to press Ukraine to find a way to come to a settlement with Russia and remain outside of NATO,” The New York Times wrote recently. The entrenched Foggy Bottom bureaucracy will be the most imposing bulwark against the senator as the nation’s chief diplomat.
The Ivy League foreign-service crowd does not like outsiders putting pressure on their diplo-speak foreign policy (talk only) mission objectives. The incumbent State Department chief, Antony Blinken, is just their cup of tea. The geopolitical arena is in stasis. Little positive has been accomplished; that is precisely how the professional diplomatic corps likes it.
US Exceptionalism a Priority
That is not Trump’s style. If confirmed, Rubio will likely fall in line. Another fundamental idea intrinsic to the American experience that rankles the professional State Department cadre is any notion of US exceptionalism. The senator’s webpage touts, “Reinvigorating American Exceptionalism” as a priority for his Senate term. Making America Great Again is in lockstep with Rubio’s point of view for the country. “Americans are the children of pilgrims, immigrants, and slaves. It is in our DNA to confront great challenges and achieve great things against great odds,” the senator explained. However, taking on the ubiquitous globalists at State will be a challenge.
As an integral player on Trump’s national security team, Rubio – if selected – will be challenged to ensure the administration communicates a consistent foreign policy message. Nothing portrays ineptness like government agencies pushing different agendas on vital international issues. Who can forget the Biden foreign policy team taking different positions on providing surplus Polish MIG-29s to Ukraine? On a Sunday talk show, Blinken emphatically said that he supported the Poles’ offer. Two days later, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin publicly denounced the initiative and stopped it.
Perhaps the most daunting national security hill to surmount for Rubio and his team is the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. Overcoming the stalled momentum of the Biden “as long as it takes” non-strategy will be tough. Ending the fighting while honoring the courageous sacrifices of the Ukrainians will be no easy feat. In an interview on NBC’s Today, the senator explained, “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.”
Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea – a daunting lineup of international pariahs – await the new Trump national security crusaders. On the present-day geopolitical battlefield, Marco Rubio, as the Secretary of State, will be the pointy end of the spear. There can be no daylight between him and President Trump.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
