Marco Rubio set for State Department role in Trump 2.0

Rubio, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was a major rival and outspoken critic of Donald Trump during the race for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 election. However, he has since moved considerably closer to Trump, advising him before the debate with Joe Biden in 2020 and being considered this year for the vice-presidential candidacy.

Originally, Rubio was one of the chief "hawks" on foreign policy matters, but over time, his views evolved towards those expressed by Trump. Despite his initial support for Ukraine, during the prolonged dispute over an aid package for Kyiv, Rubio was one of the bill's opponents, advocating for strict immigration reforms.

When asked about Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's criticism of his stance, he replied that America is itself a victim of an "invasion" and needs to address that first.

In 2022, Rubio, along with two other senators, introduced a bill that called for sanctions against China, which, after the Russian invasion, became one of the main importers of Russian oil.

"Any entity, including Chinese state-run companies, helping them in that effort should face serious consequences," he stated in a statement quoted by Bloomberg.

While expressing support for aiding Ukraine, the politician stressed that America's priority should be addressing domestic challenges. He noted that the U.S. cannot effectively support allies if it is compelled to allocate increasing resources to managing the presence of eight million undocumented individuals within its borders.

In an interview with NBC shortly after Trump's electoral victory, Rubio assessed that despite the brave resistance of Ukrainians, America should not finance a "stalemated war," and the conflict should be brought to an end.

You don't have to be a fan of Vladimir Putin to want the war to end, said the senator.

Earlier, he announced that Trump would want to ensure Ukraine is in a strong negotiating position.

If the reports are confirmed, Rubio will be another politician from Florida playing an important role in the new Trump administration. Earlier, media reported that Congressman Michael Waltz, ideologically close to Rubio, will become the U.S. National Security Advisor. Meanwhile, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik from New York, currently the president of the Republican Club in the House of Representatives, is to become the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.