Donald Trump’s likely pick of Florida Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state has caused a split among supporters of Trump, with many isolationists and those within the “America First” camp criticizing his war hawk credentials. However, when it comes to the issue of Europe, some conservatives on the old continent are tentatively hopeful that Rubio could provide a counterweight to the near absolute power of the Brussels left-liberal elite.
“Poland is taking in millions and Hungary hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing a legitimate totalitarian war criminal. But the EU somehow thinks now is a good time to impose financial penalties on them for now meeting their definition of ‘democracy,'” wrote Marco Rubio in 2022, defending the PiS government under attack for its alleged “lack of rule of law.”
Rubio is a former rival of Trump known in the past, known for his harsh views on Russia, China and Iran, but currently supports ending the war in Ukraine. However, skeptics have noted he has voted for all Ukraine funding up until very recently.
Rubio, the deputy chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was Donald Trump’s main rival and outspoken critic for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. However, he later became much closer to Trump, advising him ahead of his 2020 debate with Joe Biden, and was among those being considered for vice president this year.
The pick of Rubio, if it does indeed occur, “could be particularly worrying for the current Polish government,” writes Polish news outlet wPolityce.
“It is possible that it will be impossible for the current government to effectively build relations with the Trump administration without President Andrzej Duda,” adds the publication. Duda belongs to the conservative PiS.
“The problem is the numerous critical opinions against Donald Trump and other Republicans from politicians of the current ruling coalition, who ruthlessly attacked the president-elect, even calling him a Russian agent,” writes wPolityce.
The publication notes that Rubio and Tusk have directly clashed in the past.
“Ronald Reagan, who helped millions of us regain freedom and independence, must be turning in his grave today. Shame on you,” wrote Tusk to Republican senators in February after a bill to provide funding for Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel failed in the senate due to dispute over migration policy that were also tied to the bill.
Rubio reacted with fury to the post from Tusk, writing, “Dear Prime Minister, can we start sending you the 300,000 migrants who illegally enter America every month? It would really help us deal with the invasion of our country and go a long way to helping pass the aid bill you want us to approve.”
This story was recalled by PiS MP Paweł Jabłoński on his social media, who wrote: “D. Tusk’s Twitter diplomacy has aged really badly.”
Rubio has defended the Law and Justice government in the past. For example, he drew attention to the actions of the European Commission regarding the rule of law in Poland and Hungary. As he emphasized, Poland and Hungary are accepting refugees from Ukraine, while the EU is imposing financial penalties on them.
