Donald Trump continues to choose members of his team. The latest come as a surprise: Florida Senator Marco Rubio has been nominated for Secretary of State, former Democratic congresswoman-turned-MAGA deputy Tulsi Gabbard will be the next National Intelligence Director, and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz has been tapped to serve as Attorney General.
All three are controversial figures for members of the Republican Party themselves, and their nomination has raised eyebrows.
In 2016, Rubio ran for president, losing to Trump. Recently, he was on the short list of vice presidential picks before JD Vance was chosen. While he previously derided him with the nickname “Little Rubio,” this time the tycoon spoke of him as a “strong supporter of our nation, a true friend to our allies and a fearless warrior who will never back down in the face of our opponents.” The Florida senator accepted the appointment with a post on X/Twitter: “I will work every day to accomplish his foreign policy agenda. Under President Trump’s administration, we will bring peace through strength and put the interests of Americans and America first.” He is the first Latino Secretary of State.
Since he was elected to the Senate in 2010, Rubio has maintained a very aggressive position toward China, Iran and Venezuela, like Trump. However, the Florida senator has sponsored a bill prohibiting the United States from exiting NATO without prior congressional approval – precisely to avoid a situation similar to the one in 2018.
Gabbard is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, served in Iraq, and changed policy direction because she was highly critical of the Obama and Biden administration’s foreign policies. She has often been equally hard on the Republican position of believing that U.S. military power could solve international conflicts. In 2017 she met secretly with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and in 2022 blamed the U.S. and NATO for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Trump praised the new U.S. intelligence chief, calling her “a fearless spirit.” Along with John Ratcliffe, who has been named director of the CIA, she will oversee 18 spy agencies and be in charge of the President’s Daily Brief, a state of intelligence document that is submitted to the president daily.
Gaetz is the new Attorney General. He has always been one of the most loyal MAGAs and is also one of the most divisive among members of his own party. He was investigated on sex trafficking charges by the House Ethics Committee. Last year the Justice Department, led by Biden, decided not to file charges.
Three others will work alongside Trump to lead the country: Pete Hegseth, as secretary of Defense; Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, as secretaries at the Department of Efficiency; and Susie Wiles, as chief of staff.
