US President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed that Senator Marco Rubio will be the new US Secretary of State. The American press previously wrote about this candidate. He declared that his former opponent would be a “friend of the Allies” and “will not surrender to America's adversaries.” In addition, Trump nominated former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to the position of Director of National Intelligence, the coordinator of all US intelligence services.
“Marco is a very respected leader and a very strong voice for freedom. He is a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never surrender to our adversaries. I look forward to working with Mark to America and make the world safe and secure again.” excellent!” Trump wrote in a statement. Thus, he confirmed previous media reports about his intention to select the senator from Florida as the next head of US diplomacy.
Rubio has criticized Trump in the past
Rubio, who is originally from Cuba, was the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the main opponent of Donald Trump and a fierce critic of Donald Trump in the race for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election. He vowed at the time that he would never let a “charlatan” Trump take over. But after Trump won the election, she became much closer to him and gave him advice, including: before his debate with Joe Biden in 2020 and this year he was among the vice presidential candidates.
READ ALSO: He leads American diplomacy. He said these words about Ukraine, Russia and China
In the beginning, this politician was one of the enthusiasts in foreign policy issues, but over time, his views changed to the “America First” approach that Trump expressed. Despite his initial support for Ukraine during the long-running dispute over the package of measures for Kiev, Rubio was among the opponents of the bill, which called for drastic immigration reform.
Marco Rubio Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA / PAP
Trump nominated Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence
Trump also announced his intention to appoint former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, coordinating all US intelligence services. Gabbard is a former Democrat who has accused Hillary Clinton of working for Russia.
“As a former Democratic presidential candidate, she has broad support in both parties—now she's a proud Republican! I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her distinguished career to our Intelligence Community and our constitutional defense Tulsi's rights and peacemaking makes us all proud! – Trump in a statement released on Wednesday (original spelling).
Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump, Eric S. Lesser / EPA / PAP
Gabbard, 43, is an Indian-born National Guard lieutenant colonel and former Democratic congressman from Hawaii who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2016 and 2020 before joining the Republicans in 2024. He is one of the most controversial politicians – he has created divisions within his former party by meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and expressing pro-Russian views, as well as after Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine.
Gabbard questioned the crimes associated with Assad, a Russian ally, and suggested that the Biden administration was guilty of Russian aggression because it did not reject Ukraine's NATO membership. He criticized the sanctions against Russia, claiming that Russia and the US are “not that different” in terms of media censorship. He also repeated the Russian narrative about US biolabs in Ukraine, where work on biological weapons is allegedly underway. Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger suggested that Gabbard was treasonous, and in 2019 Hillary Clinton suggested that Gabbard was a “friend of Russia” and a Russian agent with whom the Kremlin needed to undermine the Democrats' electoral chances in the 2020 elections.
The position of director of national intelligence is one of many offices to be filled by the Senate. Despite the Republican majority, Gabbard cannot be sure of support for her candidacy in the Senate, which is dominated by mainstream politicians and pro-Ukraine supporters.
However, Senator Markwayne Mullin, who is close to Donald Trump, told the Washington Post that he expects his nomination to be voted on in the Senate. “Democrats can cry all they want,” he added.
Main photo: Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA / PAP
