Having defeated his rival Joe Biden in the presidential election, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States and appointed his former Republican opponent, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, as Secretary of State. Rubio thus became the highest-ranking Hispanic politician in U.S. history.[i] The foremost foreign policy agenda item during Rubio’s tenure is expected to be the U.S.–China rivalry.
Rubio is seen as an anti-communist supporter, similar to American politicians during the Cold War. Rubio’s discomfort with the Castro regime in Cuba has played a role in this. His radical views on China, governed by the Communist Party, are interpreted from this perspective. At the same time, Rubio’s Catholicism causes him to harshly criticize China and view it as the “main threat” to American hegemony. In this context, Rubio tries to keep issues related to China on the agenda. Rubio’s stance, particularly his advocacy for supporting Taiwan, conflicts with China’s “One China” policy and contributes to the tension in Beijing-Washington relations. In short, Rubio is characterized as a “hawkish politician” toward China.
Rubio’s hardline rhetoric signals that during Trump’s second presidential term, U.S.-China relations will be tested not only in the economic sphere but also in the political sphere. Rubio, unlike Trump’s isolationist perspective, emphasizes the principle of ‘interventionism’ in foreign policy. This stance is similar to the tradition of the Bushes, father and son. Rubio defends the operations carried out by the US in other countries to promote human rights, freedom, and democracy in the context of American exceptionalism. In this regard, Rubio argues that the US occupies a unique and singular position in the world, and that this status derives from historical, ideological, and religious reasons.
Like many senior-level American politicians, Rubio is sensitive to the security of the State of Israel and advocates for unconditional support for Israel. Rubio views Israel’s attacks as “legitimate self-defense” and also has good relations with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During Joe Biden’s term, Rubio was one of the names supporting Trump’s Gaza Plan. This plan aims to displace Gazans and transform the Gaza Strip into a tourist area following the dismantling of Hamas.
Rubio, who has adopted a hardline stance toward parties advocating leftist ideology in Latin American politics, has implicitly criticized Brazilian leader Lula de Silva for his relations with Cuba, Nicaragua, China, and Venezuela. Overall, Rubio attaches particular importance to the Latin American region. Indeed, following his appointment as Secretary of State, his first visits were to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. Following these diplomatic initiatives, Rubio traveled to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference and subsequently visited Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East.
As a continuation of his Latin America policies, Rubio paid visits to Ecuador and Mexico. The purpose of these visits was to foster cooperation in combating cartels designated as “terrorist” by the US, to control illegal immigration, and to reduce China’s influence in Latin America, known as the US’s “backyard.” The importance of intergovernmental cooperation, particularly in the fight against drug trafficking, is emphasized.[ii]
Rubio advocates advancing negotiations and ceasefire processes in line with Trump’s plan to resolve the Russia-Ukraine War. Rubio also emphasizes that European countries have suffered military inventory losses due to the arms assistance they have provided to Ukraine, and for this reason, stresses the need to reorganize NATO’s strategic infrastructure, particularly in the context of air defense systems, artillery units, and command-and-control capabilities.
Rubio’s political relations with European states have also been turbulent, contributing to the weakening of transatlantic relations. For instance, the German Internal Intelligence Agency’s categorization of the AfD party as “confirmed far-right” has been strongly condemned, and Rubio has described the German government as not democratic, but a “tyranny in disguise”. In his post, Rubio argued that the real extremism lies not within the AfD, which came second in the German elections, but with the government’s immigration policies. The German government, however, argued that the decision was democratic, that an independent investigation was conducted to protect the German constitution, and that the far right must be stopped. In the context of US-Russia relations, Rubio stated that they would not allow Russia to become “China’s junior partner” and expressed Washington’s dissatisfaction with the rapprochement along the Russia-China axis.[iii]
In light of this information, Marco Rubio, a Cuban immigrant who settled in the United States and rose to the highest government position in US history, has sought to advance his political career primarily by taking a hardline stance against China. Supporting U.S. interventionism, Rubio has referred to America’s role as the “defender of global peace” and argued that American hegemony is based on “legitimate foundations.” Furthermore, Rubio, who attaches importance to the survival and security of the Israeli state in the Middle East, has harshly criticized actors such as Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah. In Latin America, Rubio has undertaken a series of visits to strengthen diplomatic relations, focusing particularly on combating drug trafficking, human smuggling, and curbing China’s influence in the region. Regarding transatlantic relations, he has made statements that escalate tensions. Ultimately, Rubio will continue to be one of the leading actors influencing U.S. global politics.
[i] Örmeci, O. (2025). “Political Views Of Marco Rubıo, The Expected New U.S. Secretary Of State”, İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi, 6(1), 28-37.
[ii] “US Secretary Rubio visits Mexico amid crackdown on cartels”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-secretary-rubio-visits-mexico-amid-crackdown-cartels-2025-09-03/, (Accessed on: 03.09.2025).
[iii] “Rubio: Rusya’nın Çin’in ‘Küçük Ortağı’ olmasına izin veremeyiz”, Bloomberght, https://www.bloomberght.com/rubio-rusya-nin-cin-in-kucuk-ortagi-olmasina-izin-veremeyiz-3742677, (Accessed on: 03.09.2025).
