After President Trump kicked out his national security adviser Mike Waltz on Thursday night, he's settled on someone with fewer Hawkish in Russia and willing to maintain a lockstep in his foreign policy approach to Iran, Gaza and China.
He didn't need to look far.
In addition to his main day job as Secretary of State by making Marco Rubio the top diplomatic advisor to the West Wing, Trump relied on his former political rival who spent the first three months of his administration as a faithful Earth-deprived infantry, and a reliable echo of the president's agenda.
Now, Rubio will help run that agenda from both the White House and the State Department headquarters. Even as Steve Witkov, a longtime friend of the president, is in charge of ending the war in Ukraine and Gaza, as the main negotiator in charge of signing a contract with Iran on the nuclear weapons programme.
Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the US and Americas program at Chatham House, a London-based research institute, said Rubio “is willing to go smoothly and follow where Trump is. What we are getting is that loyalty comes first through this administration, loyalty to humans, loyalty to missions.”
But Trump added that by integrating so many foreign policy powers into one person, he risks losing someone who could offer him different policy perspectives and competing advice.
“You just need to reduce the number of potential points for people who are saying, 'Actually, oh oh, look at what happened,'” she said. “Look at this information that will fly in the face of what we suspect.”
Rubio's new mission, often requiring national security advisers to stay in the White House and approach the president, could further hinder his ability to travel the planet as America's top diplomat. It would leave more space for Witkov, who has little experience in foreign policy, to continue negotiations around the world. But Rubio will often listen to Trump.
In Russia, Rubio is less likely to challenge Trump than Waltz, the more traditional Republican hawk. Waltz has internally debated sharp sanctions against Russia if he fails to sign a contract to end the war in Ukraine, and did the incident just as he did on Monday, according to people who know what happened. Trump has given few official indications that he is interested in the option.
Waltz's Hawkish ideology, criticism of Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, and his previous support for Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky, have made him a subject of deep suspicions about the administration, and the three have allied closely with the president.
Without Waltz in the White House, there will be fewer best officials to serve as an informal conduit for foreign leaders. But for Ukraine in the Middle East, Russia and China, Rubio's ascension emphasizes the president's determination to speak in a unified voice.
As a Florida-born senator, Rubio was a critic of Russian voices and a passionate champion for Zelensky after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. But as Secretary of State, Rubio has publicly warned that Trump could simply walk away from his wife.
“We need to know now here and now whether this is viable in the short term,” Rubio told reporters in mid-April, meeting with European leaders to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine. “If not, I think we just move on.”
Rubio also reflected the president's boundaries regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, saying multiple times, “Hamas must be eradicated.” After Trump suggested that Palestinians be removed from the territory to chase the “Gaza Riviera,” Rubio posted to X, “The United States is ready to lead Gaza again and make it beautiful.”
Like his boss, Rubio said China was America's “biggest threat” and he was a fierce advocate in place of Trump's desire to win Greenland and the Panama Canal. In a statement to a reporter last month, Rubio refused to say he would rule out the president from using his power to take over Greenland.
“What we're not trying to do is say we're coming to China and giving them a lot of money and becoming dependent on China,” Rubio continued citing President Trump.
And Rubio has repeated the president's warning that the US will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, but he has also followed Trump's instructions for diplomatic deals that eliminate the need for military action.
“This is the best opportunity they have,” Rubio said of Iran in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday evening. “President Trump is the president of peace. He doesn't want war.”
Witkov has been leading talks with Iran for the past few weeks. But Rubio has also spoken out, claiming that even nuclear generators must demand Iran to give up its ability to enrich uranium. Iranian leaders publicly rejected the demand, saying they should have the right to produce uranium.
Hal Brando, a well-known professor at Johns Hopkins University, said:
