Washington — Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the State Department as secretary of state, will face questions from his Senate colleagues on Wednesday morning in what is expected to be one of the least contentious confirmation hearings this week.
Rubio, who has extensive foreign policy experience, is likely to sail through the confirmation process to become the nation’s top diplomat. Questioning, however, could get awkward if Democrats emphasize his potential foreign policy differences with Trump, his former rival whom he now has to defend.
“Ultimately, under President Trump, the top priority of the United States Department of State must be and will be the United States,” Rubio is expected to say, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks. The hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and can be watched live in the player above.
The senator has taken hard-line positions on China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. In the Senate, he has been among the most outspoken on China, saying the nation is the “threat that will define this century.” Members of both parties have since adopted his positions on China.
As well as warning about the national security risks, Rubio has also sought to hold China accountable for human rights abuses. In 2020, Beijing responded to Rubio’s criticisms by banning him from the country. It’s unclear what will become of that ban once he takes office and is tasked with carrying out Trump’s foreign policy goals.
Rubio will take aim at China during the hearing, according to the excerpts. He will say the Chinese government has “lied, cheated, hacked and stolen their way to global superpower status, at our expense.”
Rubio will inherit the position facing a number of global challenges, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, persistent violence in the Middle East, China’s aggression against Taiwan and its tense relationship with the U.S. Trump has also suggested using military force or coercion to gain control of Greenland and the Panama Canal. He’s floated annexing Canada as the 51st state and has threatened trade wars with U.S. allies.
Rubio will also fault the post-Cold War global order as “obsolete” and say that it is “a weapon being used against us.”
“While America far too often continued to prioritize the ‘global order’ above our core national interests, other nations continued to act the way countries always have and always will, in what they perceive to be in their best interest,” Rubio plans to say. “And instead of folding into the post-Cold War global order, they have manipulated it to serve their interest at the expense of ours.”
Who is Marco Rubio?
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Rubio, 53, was born in Miami to Cuban immigrants who arrived in the U.S. in May 1956. His father was a banquet bartender and his mother worked as a hotel maid. According to his Senate website, Rubio “was drawn to public service in large part because of his grandfather, who saw his homeland destroyed by communism.”
Rubio’s long political career began when he served as city commissioner in West Miami after he earned degrees from the University of Florida and the University of Miami Law School. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, where he served until 2008, including two years as speaker.
The Florida Republican was first elected to the Senate in 2010 and won his third six-year term in 2022. He has served on both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as vice chair on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Rubio was among a crowded field of GOP candidates running for president in 2016. He ended his campaign after losing the primary to Trump in his home state of Florida. The two verbally sparred during the campaign, with Rubio calling Trump “a con artist” who was hijacking the Republican Party and “the most vulgar person” to ever run for president. Trump sought to diminish his rival by nicknaming him “Little Marco.”
Still, Rubio endorsed Trump for president after dropping out of the race and two formed a pragmatic relationship in the years since. Trump eyed Rubio as a possible running mate in the 2024 race, but settled on Sen. JD Vance of Ohio instead.
How to watch Marco Rubio’s confirmation hearing
CBS News will be streaming Rubio’s confirmation hearing in the player above beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
Does Marco Rubio have the votes to be confirmed?
Rubio is all but certain to be confirmed with bipartisan support. A number of Senate Democrats have praised Trump’s choice and have pledged to support his nomination on the floor, giving him many more than the 50 votes he needs for confirmation, barring something unforeseen.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who met with Rubio on Monday, called the Florida Republican “a good choice” and said he “has a thorough understanding of the United States’ role on an international scale.”
“I plan to vote yes on his nomination when it comes before the Senate,” Durbin, a top Senate Democrat, said in a statement.
