Sen. Marco Rubio entered the 2016 cycle as one of the Republican frontrunners for president. But that was before Donald Trump got in the race, and mercilessly bullied Rubio, even giving him the nickname “Liddle Marco.”
Rubio tried to fight back, not very effectively, calling Trump a “con artist,” before he ultimately dropped out of the race.
Trump picking Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State is pretty hilarious. pic.twitter.com/RACb1rOUpQ
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) November 12, 2024
Rubio, who had originally said he would not run for re-election to the Senate, changed his mind that summer and was re-elected, both in 2016 and 2022. Now, Rubio will enter the administration of his former enemy.
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Trump is expected to nominate Rubio for Secretary of State, the New York Times reported Monday night. Rubio had also been considered for the vice presidency earlier this year. The Florida senator “has staked out a position as a foreign policy hawk, taking hard lines on China and Iran in particular.” The apparent selection of Rubio, and other early foreign policy appointments, indicates that Trump is favoring foreign-policy hawks, rather than isolationists.
Rubio’s nomination would open up a Senate seat in Florida. Under Florida law, the governor would appoint a senator who would serve until the next regularly scheduled general election, which is presumably in 2026. Sen. Rick Scott was re-elected last week to Florida’s other Senate seat and is seeking to become Senate Majority Leader.
Breaking News: Donald Trump is expected to name Senator Marco Rubio, a foreign policy hawk on China and Iran, as his secretary of state. https://t.co/Ar2CkAH6up
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 12, 2024
Like Rubio, Barack Obama’s two Secretaries of State (Hillary Clinton and John Kerry) were both U.S. Senators who had run for president previously, and Clinton had run against Obama himself the previous year. Trump’s first Secretary of State was oil company CEO Rex Tillerson, who was fired by tweet after just over a year in the post; he was succeeded by Mike Pompeo, who had previously been CIA director. Trump announced last week that neither Pompeo nor Nikki Haley, who was his U.N. ambassador, would serve in the second Trump Administration.
With Rubio, a former enemy, in the fold, it will bear watching whether Trump will eventually turn on him again, or even dispense with him much the way he once did Rex Tillerson.
You know Donald Trump is going to love firing Marco Rubio. I can already imagine what that tweet is going to look like.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 12, 2024
Photo courtesy of Political Tribune media library.
