Trump to name hawkish, pro-Israel Marco Rubio as US secretary of state

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is set to appoint Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, according to a report Monday.

Trump may still make a last-minute change, but he seems to have decided on Rubio, said The New York Times, citing three people familiar with his plans. Neither Rubio’s team nor Trump’s team have confirmed the report.

Rubio, first elected to the Senate in 2010, is known for his hardline 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 Russia’s war in Ukraine, which he said has reached a “stalemate” and “needs to be brought to a conclusion.”

Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel, has consistently adopted hardline positions.

Earlier this year, he accused President Joe Biden of appealing to “antisemites” in the Democratic Party by criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged the administration to revoke visas for foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, labeling them as “terrorist sympathizers.”

In November last year, when confronted by a group of activists in Congress, Rubio opposed calls for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, describing the Palestinian group as “vicious animals” and saying: “I want (Israel) to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on.”

Rubio has also led efforts to ban TikTok, arguing that it spreads “pro-Hamas, anti-Israel propaganda” and poses an “existential threat to our nation.”

Following an Iranian missile attack on Israel in October, he encouraged a strong Israeli response, saying “those demanding Israel show ‘restraint’ should remember that they have the ability to inflict regime-threatening damage on Iran and have already shown restraint by not doing so.”