According to news reports, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is among the names on President Donald Trump’s shortlist to serve as his next Secretary of State if he becomes the occupant of the White House once again in 2024. The actual appointment is already making waves as Trump’s campaign begins strategizing possible cabinet selections ahead of the election.
Rubio is one of the strongest Republicans and an important voice on foreign affairs, having served as a U.S. senator since 2011. His approach to China and Russia was unflinchingly hawkish. A growing number of voices believe that he has been a more compelling voice in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in advocating increased American clout and power worldwide on issues related to human rights abuses and limiting authoritarian governments’ tentacles.
Political insiders say that their choice of Rubio would be a message that he was more likely to come at foreign policy issues with more assertiveness. Rubio has been very clear in his stance about limiting Chinese influence, and calls for a united Western front against Russia can easily resonate with the strong words that Trump himself came up with on most international issues. According to sources close to his campaign, Rubio’s experience and high-profile position within the GOP might make him an attractive candidate, likely enough to navigate the complicated diplomacy of the international realm.
This would also be a political reconciliation as both were sharp competitors during the 2016 Republican primaries. However, recently Rubio has offered utterly innocuous support to the policies of Trump and recently aligned with him on significant issues of national security that may have prompted the present choice of his nation’s chief diplomatic position.
If Trump announces Rubio officially as his Secretary of State pick, this would be one of the most powerful presentations that could shape U.S. policy in Asia, Europe, and Latin America in terms of some potential major policy shifts under Rubio’s solid advocacy. Scholars note that Rubio’s policy will involve more alliance building, mainly with NATO, and that human rights programs or initiatives should be developed in anti-democratic countries.
While the Trump campaign has yet to formally announce cabinet selections, Rubio’s name topping the list of potential picks reflects a renewed interest in Republican unity and a clear strategic vision for America’s role in world affairs.
