OAN Staff James Meyers
7:35 AM – Tuesday, November 12, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Senator Marco Rubio of Florida for secretary of state in his administration in the coming days, according to multiple sources close with the process.
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However, Trump could still change his mind, citing that the decision wouldn’t be finalized until he makes a formal announcement.
The New York Times first reported on Trump’s expected offer to Rubio.
With Trump likely to pick Rubio (R-Fla.) as his top diplomat, the selection for the role would signal right out of the gates the president-elect’s willingness to put someone in he position with the same views on China as a whole.
Meanwhile, Rubio, who was considered in the running for vice president, has expressed interest in joining Trump’s Cabinet if it was the right position, multiple sources have reported.
Rubio has experience in foreign policy and sits on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.
One Trump ally said Rubio was someone “Trump’s base could trust.”
“While Marco is a little more hawkish than the incoming president and vice president, he’s actually not as far away from them as many people might assume at first blush,” another Trump ally said. “He’s become far more aligned with the president on issues regarding tariffs. He has a similar stand on the China issue, and he even voted against the last round of Ukraine funding.”
Rubio has spent over 10 years focused on the “China threat” theory and was sanctioned along with five other U.S. lawmakers by the Chinese government in 2020 for “behaving badly on Hong Kong-related issues.” If Rubio is given the position, U.S. officials say that China is likely going to have to remove those sanctions in order to deal with him.
“Getting Rubio is worse for China than getting Pompeo again,” said a former Trump administration official.
After having a rocky relationship in 2016, Rubio’s and Trump’s relationship has not only been amended, it has strengthened.
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