US President-elect Donald Trump’s entourage expects him to nominate Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio to be the country’s Secretary of State.
Trump can still make last-minute changes, but it appears he has already settled on Rubio, The New York Times reported, citing three people familiar with his plans. Neither Rubio’s team nor Trump’s team confirmed the report.
Rubio, who was first elected to the Senate in 2010, is known for his tough stance on Cuba, Iran and China.
Recently, however, he has aligned more closely with Trump’s foreign policy, echoing the president-elect’s calls for an end to the war in Ukraine, which he says has reached a “stalemate” and “must be brought to an end.”
Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel, has consistently taken a hardline stance.
Earlier this year, he accused President Joe Biden of reaching out to “anti-Semites” in the Democratic Party to criticise Israel’s actions in Gaza and called on the administration to revoke visas for foreign students participating in pro-Palestinian protests, calling them “terrorist sympathisers.”
Last November, facing a group of activists in Congress, Rubio railed against calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, calling the Palestinian group “vicious animals” and saying:
I want (Israel) to destroy every element of Hamas that falls into their hands.
Rubio has also led efforts to ban TikTok, saying it spreads “pro-Hamas, anti-Israel propaganda’ and poses an ‘existential threat to our nation.”
Following the Iranian missile attack on Israel in October, he called for a strong response from Israel, saying that “those who demand Israel show restraint should remember that they have the opportunity to inflict regime-threatening damage on Iran, and they have already shown restraint by not doing so.”
Who else has the president-elect appointed
Trump, who won the US presidential election, has already outlined a number of appointments. Thus, the day before it was reported that Trump will appoint ex-Congressman Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin, 44, will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that unleash the power of American business while maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet, Trump believes.
He also named former ICE Director Tom Homan to be in charge of US border security. In addition, Homan will be responsible for deporting illegal aliens to their country of origin.
Trump has nominated Republican House of Representatives member Mike Waltz to become national security adviser in the new administration. This is a key position appointed by the president and does not require Senate confirmation. The official in this position coordinates the work of all agencies responsible for national security issues, informs the president about what is happening and implements his policy.
The election of the 47th president of the US took place on November 5. In the national vote, Trump received 51 per cent of the vote, while Democratic candidate Kamala Harris received 47.4 per cent. Later, the politician, speaking to supporters, called himself the 47th President of the US and said that his goal as head of state considers the cessation of military conflicts in the world.
