Rubio to tell senators Trump administration will place American interests 'above all else'

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the State Department, is expected to tell his Senate colleagues Wednesday morning that the incoming administration will place American interests “above all else.”

“Placing our core national interests above all else is not isolationism,” Rubio will tell members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to a copy of his opening statement that was obtained by The Associated Press (AP).

“It is the commonsense realization that a foreign policy centered on our national interest is not some outdated relic," the prepared remarks read.

“The postwar global order is not just obsolete; it is now a weapon being used against us," the Florida senator is expected to say.

Rubio, set to appear for his confirmation hearing, would become the first Latino ever to serve as secretary of State if confirmed.

So far, senators on both sides of the aisle have signaled their support for the 53-year-old, including public approval from Democrats such as Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman.

The Florida Republican has had a rocky relationship with Trump in the past, with both trading personal blows during the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Since then, the two Republicans have forged a better relationship with Rubio endorsing the president-elect in the 2024 presidential election, snubbing his own GOP governor, Ron DeSantis.

With his victory in November over Vice President Harris, Trump has secured an “unmistakable mandate from the voters,” according to Rubio’s prepared address to the senators.

“They want a strong America. Engaged in the world,” he is set to say. “But guided by a clear objective, to promote peace abroad, and security and prosperity here at home.”

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