Caution in Latin America over Marco Rubio’s Nomination
As Donald Trump’s Secretary of State
Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio will be the next Secretary of State, becoming the first Hispanic to lead US diplomacy.
HAVANA TIMES – Latin America remains cautious about the nomination of Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio as the new US Secretary of State, with expectations that he will increase pressure on the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, with which he has always been very critical.
President-elect Donald Trump announced on November 13, 2024, the nomination of Marco Rubio, whom he described as “a highly respected leader and a powerful voice for freedom.”
“He will be a strong defender of our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a brave warrior who will never surrender to our adversaries,” Trump said.
“More Pressure” on Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua
Cuba, which has been mired in a deep economic and energy crisis for four years, faces this change with evident concern and has yet to position itself on Trump’s return to the presidency, after he significantly toughened the sanctions regime in his first term and included Havana on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Marco Rubio has long defended the policy of maximum pressure on Cuba and criticized any rapprochement with the island, including the period known as the “thaw,” when diplomatic relations were restored during the Obama administration.
To lift the sanctions, Rubio demands changes in human rights, the release of political prisoners, and the democratization of the Cuban political system. Havana, in turn, demands respect for national sovereignty and points to human rights issues in the United States.
Rubio has also been a constant critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, accusing him of being a dictator, violating human rights, staying in power through fraud, suppressing opposition, and imprisoning potential rivals, for which he has called for sanctions and the denial of international loans to the Central American country.
Nicaraguan opponents, such as Arturo McFields and Jaime Arellano, see Rubio’s nomination as a victory for the fight against Ortega, while others, like sociologist Javier Melendez, are skeptical, criticizing the focus on Nicaragua.
Guatemalan migration analyst Pedro Pablo Solares tells EFE that Rubio’s nomination “should be viewed positively.”
The senator is “a critic of the loss of democracy in the region in countries like Cuba or Venezuela, which can be leveraged by diplomacy so that this Guatemalan government seeks to maintain the support it has received from the United States in terms of democracy,” he adds.
Similarly, Celia Medrano, former vice-presidential candidate for the Salvadoran minority party Nuestro Tiempo (center-right) and a migration expert, tells EFE that with Rubio, the new Trump administration will be able to “increase pressure against Venezuela, Cuba, and, to a lesser extent, Nicaragua.”
Guilherme Casarões, an international politics professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), said Rubio, as head of US diplomacy, increases the risk that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will be seen in the White House as “a regional enemy” due to his alignment with Latin America’s left.
“Based on his statements and positions as a senator, Rubio is a very attentive figure to Latin American politics, who may perceive it as a battle between good and evil,” a view that could lead to a “lack of political dialogue” bilaterally and a potential weakening of Brazil regionally, he explains to EFE.
The Colombian government, which has not yet commented on the nomination, wants to maintain good relations with the United States, based on bipartisanship, but Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Rubio have differences.
“Although our press may not like to say it, Senator Rubio is an expression of the most reactionary sectors of US politics and has helped build a violent foreign policy. That policy has killed millions of people in the 21st century,” said Petro in a 2019 tweet, when he was not yet president.
Rubio has called the president “Gustavo ‘Chavez’ Petro” and has recently criticized the Colombian leader’s pro-Palestinian stance: “It is unfortunate to see that such an important country as Colombia, whose extraordinary people have suffered from terrorist actions, now has a president who condemns Israel and compares its leaders to Nazis, while justifying and supporting Hamas.”
Good News for Others
For the government of Javier Milei in Argentina, a country that Rubio visited in February 2024 to meet with the far-right president, this is good news.
During his visit, Rubio expressed that he was “honored” to be received by Milei, whom he said he had “followed closely” during his presidential campaign.
Previously, Rubio had described Milei as an ally who should be supported by the US and urged the Biden administration to pressure the International Monetary Fund to restructure Argentina’s debt, a central issue for the South American country.
On the other hand, the Republican has been very critical of former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez (2007-2015) and in December 2023 sent a letter to Biden requesting sanctions against her, calling her a “convicted kleptocrat” who has favored China and Iran.
Uruguayan Deputy Foreign Minister Nicolas Albertoni views “Marco Rubio’s name positively. He has a long parliamentary career in which he has highlighted the importance of the region and has mentioned Uruguay as a promoter of shared values with the United States,” he told EFE.
Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha congratulated Rubio on his nomination and expressed hope to “strengthen” diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Puerto Rico’s Governor-elect Jenniffer Gonzalez said she was “proud” of having her “dear friend and one of the island’s strongest allies” in Congress.
“I have no doubt that with his unwavering commitment to our democratic values, he will continue to promote an agenda that firmly supports our allies and sanctions dictatorial regimes,” she commented.
Marco Rubio, First Hispanic Secretary of State
After a rapid career in which he even challenged Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for the White House in 2016, Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio will be the next Secretary of State, becoming the first Hispanic to lead US diplomacy.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will hand over the State Department portfolio to Rubio, considered a hardline hawk in foreign policy and a great expert on international issues, especially Latin America.
“Marco is a highly respected leader and a powerful voice for freedom. He will be a strong defender of our nation,” the incoming president said in a statement.
This Florida senator, vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was in the running as a possible running mate for Donald Trump for vice president, before Trump finally chose J.D. Vance.
A Nod to Hispanic Voters
Once the Senate ratifies his nomination, Marco Rubio, 53, will become the first Hispanic to lead the State Department.
His selection is also a nod from Trump to Latino voters, a group that shifted toward the Republican side in last week’s presidential elections, helping Trump achieve a historic breakthrough.
An estimated 55% of Hispanic men who voted supported Trump, compared to 38% of women, according to the American Enterprise Institute, a crucial result for the former president in the Latino community, which has historically voted Democratic.
Rubio gained national popularity in 2016 when he sought the Republican presidential nomination in primaries ultimately won by Donald Trump, who later won the election.
During those primaries, Trump belittled him by calling him “Little Marco,” and Rubio responded with sharp attacks, but after dropping out of the race, the senator showed strong loyalty to the New York mogul and had a prominent role in his campaign this year.
Rubio was invited to several Trump rallies to attract Hispanic voters and to quell the fire sparked when a comedian referred to Puerto Rico as a “garbage island” during a Republican event.
Hardline Foreign Policy
This conservative politician, with a skilled rhetoric, was first elected to the Senate in 2010, where he has maintained a hardline stance in foreign policy, especially with China and Iran, and has supported sanctions on Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
Rubio vehemently condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but in April, aligning with Trump, voted against sending new weapons to Kyiv.
From the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he also had notable influence on Latin American policy during Trump’s first term (2017-2021).
“It’s a bad day to be a dictator in Latin America!” Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar posted on social media when Rubio’s nomination was announced.
However, some of Trump’s closest circles view Rubio’s hawk-like profile with skepticism, considering that it contrasts with Trump’s “America First” isolationist foreign policy.
With proven oratory and charisma, Rubio has managed to build a strong image as a conservative politician, swimming through the turbulent Republican waters, until he became the first key Hispanic figure within the party.
A son of Cuban immigrants born in Miami, a family man, and a Catholic, he is against same-sex marriage and abortion, opposes immigration relief measures, and advocates for a return to hardline foreign policy.
A law graduated from the University of Miami, he is married to Jeanette Dousdebes, a US citizen of Colombian descent, who was a Miami Dolphins cheerleader while in college, and they have four children: Amanda, Daniella, Anthony, and Dominic.
First published in Spanish by Confidencial and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.