Rubio's rise: From Trump critic to secretary of state
Marco Rubio will become the Secretary of State in Donald Trump's second administration. The 53-year-old Rubio has Cuban roots, and the "Financial Times" describes him as a "China hawk." Rubio also talks about ending the war in Ukraine.
Rubio, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was a major rival and outspoken critic of Donald Trump during the race for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 election. However, he has since grown considerably closer to Trump, advising him before the debate with Joe Biden in 2020. This year, Rubio was among those considered for the vice-presidential candidacy.
Initially, the politician with Cuban roots was one of the primary "hawks" on foreign policy issues, but over time his views have evolved to align more closely with those expressed by Trump. Despite his initial support for Ukraine, during the prolonged dispute over an aid package for Kyiv, Rubio was one of the bill's opponents, demanding strict immigration reforms.
In 2022, Rubio, along with two other senators, introduced a bill that provides for sanctions against China, which after the Russian invasion, became one of the main importers of Russian oil.
"Every entity, including Chinese state-owned companies, that assists in this effort should face severe consequences," he stated in a statement quoted by Bloomberg.
The war in Ukraine and the stalemate
"My message to Poland is: if you were the victim of an invasion of eight million illegal immigrants, we would understand that you might want to address that before dealing with Ukraine. (...) I support aid to Ukraine, but we must first help America. America will not be useful to Poland and other allies if, as a country, we have to allocate more and more resources to eight million people who are here illegally," the politician said.
In an interview with NBC shortly after Trump's electoral victory, Rubio assessed that despite the brave resistance of Ukrainians, America should not finance a "stalemated war" and the conflict should be brought to an end.
You don't have to be a fan of Vladimir Putin to want to end the war, said the senator.
Earlier, he announced that Trump would want to ensure that Ukraine is in a good negotiating position.
If the reports are confirmed, Rubio will be another politician from Florida playing an important role in the new Trump administration. Earlier, media reported that Congressman Michael Waltz, ideologically close to Rubio, will become the U.S. National Security Advisor. Meanwhile, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik from New York, the current president of the Republican Club in the House of Representatives, is to become the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
