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President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be his administration’s secretary of state within the next few days, according to three sources familiar with the selection process.
Officials cautioned that Trump could still change his mind and that the decision would not be finalized until the president-elect officially announces it.
The New York Times first reported that President Trump plans to nominate Rubio as the nation’s top diplomat.
Foreign policy is one of the few areas where there is deep philosophical disagreement among President Trump’s base.
President Trump’s main pitch during the campaign was to implement an “America First” policy that de-emphasized foreign aid, curbed U.S. involvement in current foreign conflicts, and sought to avoid future conflicts. It was. But even among prominent Trump supporters, divergences remain in how they think about foreign policy.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is an avowed Trump supporter, but as one Trump supporter told NBC News, he’s one of the “less MAGA” options. There is a recognition that This position should appeal well to President Trump’s more isolationist political base, but it also needs to carry water to a less destructive brand of foreign policy that Trump supporters generally oppose.
Mr. Rubio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, was seen as a strong candidate who could sufficiently appeal to President Trump’s political base without unnecessarily damaging relations with foreign allies.
A Trump ally said Rubio is someone “Trump’s base can trust.”
Donald Trump vowed to take action on a range of issues on his first day in office.
Another Trump supporter said, “Marco is a little more hawkish than the president-elect and vice president, but he’s actually not as far removed from them as many people might imagine at first glance.” “He has become more aligned with the president on issues regarding tariffs. He has taken similar positions on the China issue and also voted against the last round of funding for Ukraine.”
A senior administration official told NBC News that Rubio would be a “serious” and “qualified” choice. The person said Rubio’s nomination would be reassuring given reports that Rick Grenell, the highly controversial ambassador to Germany during the Trump administration’s first term, was also under consideration. Several career diplomats said they were concerned that Grenell’s nomination would politicize the State Department.
During the former Trump administration, the number of senior diplomats at the State Department dwindled, first through voluntary retirements shortly after the president was elected, and then attrition as the position’s authority was transferred to political appointees.
Mr. Trump considered Mr. Rubio as a running mate before ultimately choosing Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
If Rubio becomes secretary of state, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will choose his successor. This power of nomination will remain in place until at least 2026, when elections for the seat are held.
President Trump has made a series of other personnel announcements in recent days. On Monday, he plans to nominate former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R.N.Y.) to be the top administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency and to appoint Rep. Mike Walz (R-Florida) as national security adviser. announced.
Last week, he said his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, would become White House chief of staff. On Sunday, he named immigration hardliner Tom Homan his “border czar.”
This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:
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