Secretary of State Marco Rubio has influenced US President Donald Trump to take a tougher stance on Russia, Venezuela, Iran and China, the Financial Times reported in an article dedicated to the head of the State Department.
The publication writes that Rubio, according to his supporters, not only did not deviate from his principles on foreign policy issues, but also defended them, influencing Trump to “take a more hawkish stance on countries such as China, Iran, Russia and Venezuela“.
“With regard to China, Russia, Ukraine and Iran, we are seeing a renewed American foreign policy and restoring the US role in the world“, says one of Rubio's friends and former advisers. “And that is largely due to the high-level advice that the secretary of state gives the president and the rest of the administration on a daily basis.“
The newspaper points out that Rubio, after joining the administration, began to pursue policies that differ from his previous views on the importance of US soft power and a positive attitude towards migrants. The article points to a profound reorganization of the US Agency for International Development and a tightening of rhetoric towards migrants.