Rubio And Trump Agree On Ukraine But Not On NATO

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However, Rubio was also one of the Republicans who voted against the Ukraine aid bill in April 2024. It is likely that Rubio will support Trump's desire to make a deal with Russia, that would involve Ukraine capitulating and giving up significant territory .

Rubio on NATO

While Rubio has clearly changed his tune on Ukraine to align with Trump, he is not in lockstep with Trump on NATO. In fact, Rubio co-sponsored legislation alongside Democratic senator Tim Kaine, that would make it more difficult for Trump to withdraw from NATO by requiring two-thirds of the Senate to ratify withdrawal.

As Trump has notoriously been critical of N ATO, this is likely to be an area of disagreement between the two, but might be seen as a hopeful sign by other NATO member nations.

Trump, however, seems to be willing to look past this because he agrees with Rubio's hawkish approach to China and Iran. Rubio has proposed banning companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party or the Chinese military from accessing US capital markets .

Rubio also advocated that electric cars that use Chinese technology not receive subsidies, and sponsored a law to prevent the import of Chinese products that were manufactured with forced labor .

When it comes to Iran, Rubio sees no difference between the leadership of hardliner Iranian former president Ebrahim Raisi and the more moderate current president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Rubio has advocated for tougher sanctions on Iran, and more pressure applied to curb the regime's nuclear ambitions. A staunch supporter of Israel, Rubio has argued that Iran's main goal is to make Israel unliveable .

If confirmed, Rubio would make history as the first Hispanic American secretary of state. He is fluent in Spanish. In Latin American politics, Trump has demonstrated blind faith in Rubio's knowledge of the region.

During Trump's first term, Rubio was certainly involved in US foreign policy toward Latin America, acting almost as a de facto secretary of state. Rubio worked to reverse the Obama administration's softer stance on Cuba and levy tougher sanctions against the Cuban military.

Rubio also was instrumental in cracking down on Venezuela. Rubio has made clear his position that Venezuela has become a “narco” state that cannot be negotiated with.

Rubio has clarified that all options should be on the table when dealing with Venezuela, and thus has not ruled out a military response to remove Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro from power. Though it's unlikely that the US would invade Venezuela, Rubio will likely advocate for much harsher sanctions against the country.

So what best characterizes Rubio's foreign policy? He definitely wants to take a tough approach towards America's adversaries, but wouldn't advocate military invasions.

Transactional Trumpist

More importantly, Rubio is very transactional. He has made his peace with changing his mind on key foreign policy issues in order to be invited into Trump's inner circle.