Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, received a balmy welcome during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. He aligned himself with Trump’s foreign policy positions while maintaining the skeptical tone toward many foreign countries that was his hallmark during his 14 years in the Senate.
Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio called China the greatest threat to the United States and stated that the war in Ukraine must end. He echoed Trump’s expressed concerns about China’s growing influence over the Panama Canal, saying it was not a fresh problem. Trump recently refused to rule out the exploit of military force over the fate of the Panama Canal.
“President Trump didn’t make this up. “It’s something that’s been around for at least a decade,” Rubio said, adding that China could turn the canal into a bottleneck because it controls port facilities at both ends.
Rubio, a Cuban-American, sharply disagreed with the Biden administration’s decision announced this week to remove Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. After President Joe Biden took these actions, the island nation announced it would release more than 500 prisoners.
Rubio would not commit to senators that the Trump administration would reinstate the terrorist designation, saying the decision would be up to Trump. Rubio added, however, that “nothing that has been agreed upon is irreversible or binding on the administration.”
Power clash
Rubio, who was a state legislator and speaker of the Florida House of Representatives before running for U.S. Senate, clashed loudly with Trump when they both ran for president in 2016. But after Trump won the nomination, which included a hefty blow to Rubio’s nomination W elementary school in Florida, the two formed an alliance. Rubio has emerged as an influential voice in foreign policy, especially when it comes to Latin American countries.
Rubio was reportedly on Trump’s vice presidential shortlist, but reports at the time indicated that some Trump supporters were skeptical of Rubio’s remarks — for example, that he did not object to the 2020 election results.
Rubio supports NATO
Rubio’s confirmation could come as soon as next week, and even several Democrats on the committee have expressed support for him.
It was during the hearing that news broke that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire agreement, including the release of the hostages.
Rubio defended Israel during his speeches and said Hamas had used civilians as shields during the 15-month war. He defended the North American Treaty Organization, even though Trump was critical of the organization. Rubio insisted that Trump supports NATO, but agreed with the president-elect that European countries need to contribute more to support pay for their own defense.
Rubio said he continues to support legislation he co-authored that would prevent any president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without congressional approval.
The hearing was briefly interrupted by protesters, with one person shouting at Rubio about “forever wars” while another protester spoke in Spanish about children in Nicaragua and Cuba. “I’m meeting bilingual protesters,” Rubio later joked.
DeSantis’ selection by the Senate
Rubio’s impending departure from the Senate will give Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a chance to appoint someone to fill the position until after the 2026 elections. DeSantis said this week that he had discussed the position with U.S. Reps. Kat Cammack and Cory Mills, but said , that he is unlikely to appoint anyone to the House now because Republicans have such a slim majority in the chamber.
Some media outlets have pegged Attorney General Ashley Moody as a top contender to replace Rubio.
