Who Is China & Iran Hawk Marco Rubio? Trump’s Likely Pick For US Secretary Of State – News18

Last Updated:November 12, 2024, 09:29 IST

He is known to be a hawk on China and Iran, which are expected to be priority areas for Trump’s incoming second administration

Donald Trump is expected to pick 53-year-old US Senator Marco Rubio for the US Secretary of State role, official sources said. The Florida-born politician is on track to be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat once the Republican president-elect takes office in January.

Rubio was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state, and he has in years past advocated for a muscular foreign policy concerning America’s geopolitical foes, including China, Iran, and Cuba.

Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump’s views. The president-elect accuses past US presidents of leading America into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy.

While the famously mercurial Trump could always change his mind at the last minute, he appeared to have settled on his pick as of Monday, sources requesting anonymity told news agency Reuters.

The new administration will confront a world more volatile and dangerous than it was when Trump took office in 2017, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East and China aligning itself more closely with US foes Russia and Iran.

The Ukraine crisis will be high on Rubio’s agenda.

Rubio, 53, has said in recent interviews that Ukraine needs to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia rather than focus on regaining all territory that Russia has taken in the last decade. He was also one of 15 Republican senators to vote against a $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine, passed in April.