President-to-be selects Congressman Mike Walz as White House National Security Adviser, according to media
US Senator Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and former political rival of former President Donald Trump, is now being considered the favourite to lead the State Department starting in January, which would make him the first Latino to hold this position.
Neither Trump nor Rubio have confirmed the appointment, which is already taken for granted by sources consulted by the main US media, including ‘The New York Times’, ‘The Washington Post’ and CNN. The senator, 53 years old and the son of Cuban immigrants, is already part of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was once mentioned as a potential running mate for Trump in the recent elections.
However, the tycoon opted for Senator J.D. Vance as his candidate for Vice President and will foreseeably choose Rubio to head US diplomacy. Throughout his political career, Rubio has followed hardline Republican positions and, for example, has advocated for toughening pressure on the governments of Venezuela and Cuba.
In relation to the open conflicts in different parts of the world, he has voted against a package of military aid to Ukraine and suggested the beginning of negotiations with Russia, while he has marked a strong line of support for Israel on the multiple fronts it has open, even questioning whether a ceasefire in the area is necessary.
Rubio is also on China’s ‘black list’ of sanctions for his positions in the Senate and has agreed with Trump that European allies must acquire a greater role in security issues and increase spending on Defense, so his promotion may have an echo within NATO and the EU.
The sources consulted by the main media also take for granted the appointment of Congressman Mike Waltz, a retired Special Forces soldier, as the new National Security Advisor of the White House, another key position for the new stage that Trump wants to start in January. Waltz and Trump share a political line on some of the main themes that will mark the future Administration.
Judging by the few names that have come to light and the betting pools that are currently on the table, the president-elect seems to want to reward the loyalty of those who have been at his side during these last years, although he had notorious clashes with Rubio in the Republican primaries for the 2016 elections, which both of them aspired to.
