President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida for secretary of state in his administration in the coming days, according to three sources familiar with the selection process.
Trump could still change his mind, the sources cautioned, noting that the decision wouldn’t be finalized until he makes a formal announcement.
The New York Times first reported Trump’s plans to select Rubio to be the country’s top diplomat.
Foreign policy is one of the few areas in which there is a deep philosophical disagreement among Trump’s base.
A main pitch from Trump during the campaign was that he would implement “America First” policies, a doctrine that emphasizes less foreign aid, trying to curtail U.S. involvement in current foreign conflicts and avoiding future ones. But there remains a different strain of foreign policy thinking among even prominent Trump supporters.
Even though Rubio is an avowed Trump supporter, the perception is that he was one of the “less MAGA” options, a Trump ally told NBC News. It’s a position that requires appealing enough to Trump’s more isolationist political base but also carrying water for the less disruptive brand of foreign policy that those Trump backers generally oppose.
Rubio, a member of the Foreign