Some MAGA Not Happy With Marco Rubio as Secretary of State

We still don’t have confirmation from President-elect Trump that Florida Senator Marco Rubio is in fact his choice for Secretary of State. The news is coming from other sources like the New York Times which reports that an announcement for Rubio’s appointment is coming soon.

Among the names floated so far, Rubio’s mention to potentially head the State Department is coming with a lot of groaning from some who see his views as not in lockstep with Donald Trump.

Some remain in disbelief entirely since the the New York Times is hardly a trusted source when it comes to matters relating to Trump world:

Until @realDonaldTrump himself confirms that he named Rubio as SoS and Waltz as NSA, I’m going to assume it’s untrue.

The stories are coming from Maggie Haberman of the NYT, they’re based on anonymous sources, and she’s known for making shit up. pic.twitter.com/8q85V4dEdM

— Jon Herold (@patel_patriot) November 12, 2024

Others who are taking the news at face value are complaining that Rubio seems to be an odd choice given his prior positions supporting amnesty and general hawkish nature:

Marco Rubio (aside from his foam parties) is a bad guy.

NOT America First. HORRIBLE pick for Sec State.

He worked VERY hard with Cornyn lackey Rob Jesmer to push the Gang of 8.

Zuckerberg and all the worst oligarchs funded it. pic.twitter.com/U7RoXv1Ihb

— National File (@NationalFile) November 12, 2024

In a practical sense on paper, Rubio is a young and extremely articulate advocate for American foreign policy. The question is where that foreign policy leads. Obviously and without saying, if he took a post in the Trump administration, he’d be parroting and championing Trump’s view of the world.

Rubio did recently vote against further funding of the Ukraine-Russia war which was a signal that he’s ready to play ball on Trump’s terms.

Writing in the New York Post, A.G. Gancarski says Rubio is the right man for the job, especially when considered against alternatives:

While Marco Rubio is indeed correct when he says, as he has for days, he can help Trump achieve his objectives in the Senate, the reality is of all the people on the short list — Senate colleague Bill Hagerty and former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell among them — the 53-year-old Miami Republican is best suited to accomplish Trump’s foreign-policy aims.

In interview after interview with outlets across the ideological spectrum, Rubio shows a clear-eyed view of America’s myriad challenges on the global stage. We’re well past the “indispensable nation” era of globalism espoused by figures like former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and America — with $36 trillion in debt, much of it accrued from previous decades’ foreign conflicts — needs to pick its spots.

Like no one else Trump could pick for the job, Rubio is best equipped to facilitate these relationships and stave off our rivals on our doorsteps.

That’s all well and true, maybe Rubio would be a good choice despite his prior positions.

On the other hand, he’s viewed skeptically by a lot of MAGA faithful in terms of his connection to Lindsey Graham and past statements. Then again, putting him in the State Department keeps him away from interfering in domestic policy such as border security.

Former NYPD Commission Bernard Kerik believes that Rubio would be out of his depth and points to his prior interviews where he openly opposed Donald Trump as some kind of “third world strongman”:

Marco Rubio for Secretary of State… Is that for real?

We need someone that knows the state department, that knows the bureaucrats within, that knows the traitors.

Rubio sounds as bad as some of them.pic.twitter.com/tE5zDOjwTa

— Bernard B. Kerik (@BernardKerik) November 12, 2024

If the Rubio pick is confirmed then most of the groaning will subside. The longer this drags out and the more potential it seems that Trump could change his mind or was possibly floating a trial balloon, the more intense the anti-Rubio opposition will become.

Stay tuned!