Trump picks China critic Rubio as secretary of state, Gabbard as intelligence director
President-elect Trump calls Marco Rubio a ‘fearless warrior’, praises Tulsi Gabbard’s ‘fearless spirit’ in announcements
US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated traditional hawk Marco Rubio as secretary of state and contrarian non-interventionist Tulsi Gabbard as intelligence chief, setting a showdown on his administration’s direction.
Trump went ahead with the nomination of Rubio, which had been reported for days, despite pushback from some supporters including those close to Gabbard, who before the election had described the senator as part of the “neocon warmongering establishment”.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants to Miami and vociferous opponent of Latin American communists, China and Iran, would be the first Hispanic as the top US diplomat, generally considered the most prestigious cabinet post.
On Capitol Hill, Rubio is the vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He has pushed for taking a harder line against China and has targeted social media app TikTok because its parent company is Chinese. He and other lawmakers contend that Beijing could demand access to the data of users whenever it wants.
