Aged 53, who was already tipped to become Donald Trump’s vice-president before the choice fell on JD Vance, the Florida senator has hardened his moderate line over the years, gradually marrying that of the president elected.
A list that grows day after day. Newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump is progressing in the formation of his future administration, notably appointing loyalists to key positions and demanding that they be able to assume their functions while avoiding a laborious confirmation process in the Senate.
As the New York Times reported on Monday, November 11, the president-elect plans to appoint the influential Florida senator Marco Rubio, current vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, as secretary of state.
The latter, aged 53, had already been tipped to become the Republican vice-presidential candidate, with Donald Trump ultimately preferring JD Vance.
Sensation of 2016
If this nomination is confirmed, it would mark a spectacular turnaround on the part of Marco Rubio, who in 2016 described Donald Trump as a “con” and “the most vulgar person who has ever aspired to the presidency”, so that the two men faced each other in the race for the Republican nomination. However, he declared last week on CNN that he was “always interested in serving this country.”
Also in 2016, during this nomination race, Marco Rubio created a sensation by coming in third position in the first vote in Iowa. Credited with 23% of the vote, he followed Ted Cruz, who won 28% of the vote, and Donald Trump, who received 24% of the vote.
Finally, he came in fourth position in the primary, largely won by the billionaire, with 11.27% of the votes.
Marco Rubio, then aged 44, had placed his name on the American political scene thanks to this performance. He could already boast of a rich political career, which began nearly 20 years previously as a local elected official in Florida.
Coming from Cuban immigration, he is supported by the Tea Party and regularly stages his story, with parents of very modest origins. An “American dream” which took him to the Senate in 2010.
Less and less moderate
Considered a moderate, he had in the past been described as a “Republican Obama” by his detractors on the right, over the years he has moved closer to the positions of Donald Trump, particularly with regard to international politics.
As Reuters recalls, Marco Rubio, in his latest interviews, estimated that Ukraine should seek a negotiated agreement with Russia in order to put an end to the conflict between the two countries.
“I’m not on Russia’s side, but unfortunately the reality is that the war in Ukraine is going to end in a negotiated settlement,” he told NBC in September.
He was also one of 15 Republican senators to vote against a $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine, passed in April.
His appointment, if effective, could also consolidate the gains obtained by Donald Trump with the Latino electorate, which has a significant weight across the Atlantic. In the state of Florida, where he is still a senator, this electorate has largely turned its back on the Democrats.
