Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has become the first Democrat to back President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of nominating Florida Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State.
Trump is expected to choose Rubio for the top position.
While Trump could still change his mind, Rubio would have an easy chance with approval, now with Fetterman’s blessing. Rubio would need approval from 51 senators. Republicans won the majority of the Senate during the election cycle this year, giving them a 52-seat advantage, in addition to Fetterman’s expected vote.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks at a rally for Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at York Exposition Center UPMC Arena on October 2, 2024, in York, Pennsylvania. Inset: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024.
AFP/Getty Images
“Unsurprisingly, the other team’s pick will have political differences than my own,” Fetterman said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday morning. “That being said, my colleague @SenMarcoRubio is a strong choice and I look forward to voting for his confirmation.”
Fetterman told Fox News last month that he was “shocked” Trump did not select Rubio as his vice-presidential running mate in the 2024 election.
“I’m a fan of my colleague from Florida,” Fetterman said. “I was actually shocked that Trump didn’t pick him over (Ohio Senator JD) Vance.”
Rubio, who was first elected to the Senate in 2010, ran against Trump during the 2016 Republican primary. Trump had called Rubio “Little Marco” at the time. Rubio ended up endorsing Trump before the 2016 general election.
He was also largely supportive of the first Trump administration, with Rubio, a Cuban American, being called a “virtual secretary of state for Latin America.”‘ Rubio praised Trump’s strikes on Syria in 2017 and in the same year also defended the former president’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
In 2020, after Biden defeated Trump, Rubio defended the Republican nominee’s rights to challenge the results, calling out “irregularities” and “broken election laws.” Rubio did, however, call the insurrection on January 6 “3rd world-style anti-American anarchy.”
Rubio endorsed Trump for president in 2024 prior to the Iowa caucuses.
As a top advisor and diplomat, many are suggesting Rubio’s selection is a tough tone on relations with China. Rubio has been an outspoken critic of China during his time in the Senate.
He cosponsored bipartisan legislation supporting the international standing of Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China has vowed to unify with, by force if necessary.
He also cosponsored legislation banning imports suspected to be made with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang, as well as a bill requiring the U.S. government to report on human rights abuses in the majority-Muslim region. Chinese officials there have been accused of detaining as many as 1 million people in internment camps, which Beijing insists were reeducation camps.
Rubio was among the U.S. lawmakers Beijing targeted with tit-for-tat sanctions in 2020 over his criticism of the situation Xinjiang and China’s crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong.
In September, Rubio introduced legislation to close loopholes to prevent China, Russia, and other U.S. adversaries from circumventing tariffs.
Update 11/12/24, 11:30 a.m ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
