President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as secretary of state for his administration in the coming days, according to three sources familiar with the selection process.
Trump could still change his mind, the sources cautioned, noting that the decision wouldn't be finalized until the president-elect makes a formal announcement.
The New York Times first reported Trump's plans to name Rubio as the nation's top diplomat.
Foreign policy is one of the few areas where there is a deep philosophical disagreement among Trump's base.
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A main pitch from Trump during the campaign was that he would implement “America First” policies, a doctrine that emphasizes less foreign aid, trying to curtail U.S. involvement in current foreign conflicts and avoiding future ones. But there remains a different strain of foreign policy thinking among even prominent Trump supporters.
Even though Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is an avowed Trump supporter, the perception is that he was one of the "less MAGA" options as one Trump ally told NBC News. It’s a position that requires appealing enough to Trump’s more isolationist political base, but also carrying water for the less disruptive brand of foreign policy that those Trump backers generally oppose.
Rubio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, was seen as a potential pick able to thread the needle of appealing enough to Trump’s political base, while not needlessly eroding relationships with foreign allies.
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Trump ally said Rubio was someone “Trump’s base could trust.”
“While Marco is a little more hawkish than the incoming president and vice president, he’s actually not as far away from them as many people might assume at first blush,” another Trump ally said. “He’s become far more aligned with the president on issues regarding tariffs. He has a similar stand on the China issue and he even voted against the last round of Ukraine funding.”
A current senior administration official told NBC News that Rubio would be a “serious” and “qualified” choice. The person said a Rubio pick would be a relief given reporting that Ric Grenell, the highly controversial ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term, was also in the mix for consideration. Multiple career diplomats said they were concerned about the State Department becoming politicized if Grenell were nominated.
During the last Trump administration, the number of diplomats in senior ranks at the State Department plummeted, at first through voluntary departures soon after his election and later through attrition as the authority of their positions was redirected to political appointees.
Trump had considered Rubio as a running mate before he ultimately chose Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.
If Rubio becomes secretary of state, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would get to choose a replacement. That pick would serve until at least 2026, when an election would be held for the seat.
Trump has made a series of other staffing announcements in recent days. On Monday, he announced plans to nominate former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., as the Environmental Protection Agency's top administrator and to appoint Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., as his national security adviser.
Last week, he said Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, would be White House chief of staff. On Sunday, he named immigration hard-liner Tom Homan as his “border czar.”
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