Tuesday 12, Nov 2024 {HMC} United States President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, multiple media outlets have reported.
Trump on Monday appeared to have settled on Rubio, though he could still change his mind, outlets including The New York Times, CNN, CBS News and Reuters reported, quoting unnamed sources familiar with the decision.
Rubio, who is known for his hawkish foreign policy views, would be the first Hispanic American to serve as Washington’s top diplomat if appointed to the role.
Other names who have been tipped as candidates for the role in media reports include Richard Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term, and Robert O’Brien, Trump’s former national security adviser.
Rubio, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee, is the latest figure tipped to work under Trump as the makeup of his incoming administration rapidly takes shape.
Since his election to the US Senate in 2010, Rubio has staked out a reputation for holding hardline views on US adversaries such as China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.
He has also staunchly backed Israel’s war in Gaza, telling a peace activist last year that Hamas was “100 percent to blame” for the deaths of Palestinians in the enclave.
“I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on,” Rubio said in a confrontation with Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin in December.
“These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes and I hope you guys post that because that’s my position.”
Source Al-Jaziira
