Marco Rubio: From Miami's Calle Ocho to the State Department

Senator Marco Rubio has been nominated by President Donald Trump as Secretary of State. Rubio has extensive experience in international policy and national security affairs, under his leadership we will likely see the United States aiming for a tough policy against enemy regimes and a strong effort to invest what is necessary to ensure the country's absolute and obvious security leadership.

His leadership at the State Department could historically shape US policy toward Latin America and US enemies such as Iran. Rubio, like few others in the government, knows the situation in the region, and above all the vulnerability that a Latin America taken over by socialism and with the growing presence of criminal regimes such as China and Iran represents for the country. Below we detail Rubio's strongest points, his ideology, the security policies he has promoted in the Senate, and we also take a look at his meteoric career in politics, which demonstrates his intelligence and skill.

National Defense and Counterterrorism

As a senator, Marco Rubio has excelled in pushing for a strong and prepared national defense that can counter international threats. He has always played a key role in the passage of the defense bills to ensure funding for the Army and the various national defense programs. During his service in the Senate he has continually strived to increase the budget for military funding and has always stressed the importance of maintaining US security superiority.

Rubio understands the different strategies of the most powerful regimes around the world and how the dynamics of wars today are different than they have been in decades past. In that sense, from his influence not only in the Senate, but in general in the Republican Party, he has pushed for the strengthening of cybersecurity strategies and counterterrorism initiatives that respond to the advances and new warfare techniques of America's enemies. He has strongly pushed for the approval of federal resources to invest in defense against cyber attacks.

So surely as Secretary of State we will see him moving the country towards a national defense much more focused on new warfare and cybersecurity. Always pointing out that the country has to have superiority not only in defense but also in offense.

An international policy of leadership and strength

During his years as senator, Rubio has been characterized by his toughness when confronting the enemies of the United States and particularly the dictatorships in the region. Perhaps one of his greatest assets is that he knows, like few others in US politics, what is really happening in Latin America and how powers like China and Iran are taking power in the region.

Rubio has supported a policy of strong sanctions against dictators in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Along those lines, he has raised his voice to explain to the American government, and the general public, the threat these dictatorships pose to the United States. He has also been a strong advocate for the human rights of those persecuted by these regimes and has pushed for measures to protect refugees.

His response to regimes that are enemies of the United States has always been strong. For example, he opposed the Iran nuclear deal, claiming that it gave concessions to the regime and did not stop the financing of terrorism in the Middle East. He advocated addressing the situation with Iran with increased sanctions. Rubio was also a co-sponsor of the Magnitsky Global Human Rights Accountability Act, for the US government to impose sanctions on foreign officials involved in human rights abuses and acts of corruption.

So contrary to what we have seen over the last four years under Joe Biden, what is coming for this State Department under Rubio is peace through strength.

A look at his policy positions throughout his career

According to GovTrack, Rubio ranks 15th in when it comes to right-wing political ideology. On economics, he supports cutting taxes and recognizes the need for a balanced budget.

On abortion, he has always been pro-life. On issues of gender ideology, he has opposed the teaching of such ideas in schools and has introduced bills to prohibit state funding to hospitals that promote radical agendas.

The senator has been so influential on foreign policy that during the Trump administration he was described as the "virtual secretary of state for Latin America." Rubio is one of the senators who has most strongly opposed the Castro regime in Cuba. During the Trump Administration he worked hand in hand with the president to reverse the concessions granted to the dictatorship under the Obama Administration. Among his best known achievements is the Cuban Military Transparency Act, which became the basis for preventing financial transactions benefiting the dictatorship's military.

Regarding Venezuela, he has been one of the senators who has most strongly condemned the tyranny of Nicolás Maduro. He was perhaps the key figure in getting the United States to recognize Juan Guaidó as interim president and to disown Maduro after the 2019 sham elections in Venezuela. He was also a co-author of the "TRUTH" bill, a bipartisan law that earmarked $400 million for humanitarian aid to Venezuelan refugees.

Rubio is conservative but that has not diminished his effectiveness on the Senate floor, he has been declared the most influential Republican in the Senate and the second most effective. He is respected by both sides. While he enjoys wide acceptance among conservatives, he also has a large number of bipartisan bills on his record, and his influence spans both sides of the aisle.

A political whiz kid

Senator Rubio is something of a political whiz kid. His career has been filled with enormous successes, he has always achieved what he set out to do. The only time he failed to win was precisely because Trump beat him in the race to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2016. Rubio has not only made history by becoming the first Hispanic to reach the highest position in American diplomacy, but we will surely see him making history in terms of what he will achieve in international politics.

Rubio has a great story of achievement, coming from a Cuban family that started from scratch in this country and has seen its son rise from Calle Ocho in Miami to Capitol Hill in Washington. His father worked as a bartender and his mother was a hotel maid.

At the age of 28, he became a member of the Florida House of Representatives. In 2005, Governor Jeb Bush anointed him Speaker of the State House, the first Cuban-American to obtain that position. At the age of 39, and facing skepticism from much of the Republican Party, in 2010 Rubio managed to become a senator after defeating the popular Florida governor Charlie Crist.

In 2015 he decided to launch his presidential campaign, but withdrew from the race after losing the Republican primary in Florida against Donald Trump. In 2019 he returned to the Senate, and in 2022 he was re-elected for the third time.

Rubio is considered one of the Republicans with the highest level of leadership. According to GovTrack, he is the Republican with the highest level of leadership, measured by how often other members of Congress co-sponsor his bills.

He is also considered one of the most effective, according to the Center for Effective Legislation (CEL) at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, Rubio is the second most effective senator within the Republican Party, evaluated by his success in enacting legislation and bills.