Is Secretary of State Marco Rubio off to a rocky start with President Donald Trump?
Rubio has been thrust into the global spotlight as Trump continues to upend years of U.S. foreign policy during his first two months in office. Rubio, who used to be a top supporter of Ukraine, has reportedly been expressing frustrations with the Trump administration since undertaking his new role, according to Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman.
Citing four prominent Republicans close to the White House, Vanity Fair reported that Rubio “has told people he is upset by his lack of foreign policy influence despite being, on paper at least, the administration’s top diplomat.” One of the unnamed sources told Sherman that “they felt as though Rubio is often the last to know when foreign policy decisions are made.”
Two of the sources told Sherman that Rubio’s frustrations began to start after Trump appointed nine foreign policy envoys tasked with high-profile assignments, like ending the war in Gaza.
Another reason for Rubio’s reported disapproval was Trump’s decision to revoke the security protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this year.
“Marco and Pompeo are close, so that decision was egg on Marco’s face,” the source said, according to Vanity Fair.
Rubio—who received unanimous bipartisan support during the Senate confirmation hearings—was mocked on social media after Trump’s chaotic White House meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week. Rubio lauded Trump for his behavior during the meeting despite the backlash he received.
“Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!” Rubio wrote on X.
Rubio’s post drew some rebuke on X, with many users pointing out that he looked “uncomfortable” during the meeting with Zelenskyy.
After Trump vowed to take over the Panama Canal during his joint address to Congress on Tuesday, he seemed ready to blame Rubio if it was not successful.
“And we have Marco Rubio in charge. Good luck, Marco. Now we know who to blame if anything goes wrong,” Trump said.
Sherman wrote that one of the sources predicted that Rubio will not last throughout Trump’s term.
“The question is how long Rubio will support the administration as Trump drives American foreign policy into uncharted waters. One of the sources I spoke with speculated that Rubio will only last in the job 18 months before he resigns,” Sherman wrote.
Stories by Lauren Sforza
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