CHINA, CUBA HAWK
Some of Trump’s supporters will be sceptical of his decision to tap Rubio, who until recently held muscular foreign policy positions that contradict those of Trump.
During Trump’s 2017 to 2021 term, for instance, Rubio co-sponsored legislation that would make it harder for Trump to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, by requiring two-thirds of the Senate to ratify withdrawal.
Trump has railed for years against NATO member countries that failed to meet agreed military spending targets and warned during the campaign that he would not only refuse to defend nations “delinquent” on funding but would also encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to them.
Rubio is a top China hawk in the Senate.
Most notably, he called on the Treasury Department in 2019 to launch a national security review of popular Chinese social media app TikTok’s acquisition of Musical.ly, prompting an investigation and troubled divestment order.
As the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, he has also kept up the heat on the Biden administration, demanding it block all sales to Huawei earlier this year after the sanctioned Chinese tech company released a new laptop powered by an Intel AI processor chip.
Rubio, whose grandfather fled Cuba in 1962, is also an outspoken opponent of normalising relations with the Cuban government, a position Trump shares.
The head of the House subcommittee overseeing Latin American affairs, he is also a frequent and fierce critic of Nicolas Maduro’s government in Venezuela.
Source: CNA
