Since being named President Donald Trump's Secretary of State, Marco Rubio appears to have little control over the agency, as he renounces his own neoconservative beliefs and record to unflinchingly push the isolationist agenda of the Trump administration — and alienate all the civil servants underneath him in the process, Politico reported on Monday.
Rubio, who has also been named the "acting director" of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk try to dismantle the institution, is already raising questions among both his subordinates and lawmakers in Congress about just what sort of power he really has — if any.
“The simple story is that Rubio is not in charge,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT). “But in order to maintain the appearance that he’s in charge, he has to defend the decisions other people are making.” He added that Musk is functionally the real secretary of state.
"The former senator from Florida has ... done a 180 on some of his core policy positions, even some that didn’t seem too controversial before Trump took office on Jan. 20," reported Politico.
For instance, "Rubio once spoke out against dictatorships from Havana to Tehran; now he’s standing by as groups that defy such regimes lose U.S. funding. Rubio long insisted that the U.S. must remain the world’s dominant power; now he’s suggesting that a multipolar world is an inescapable reality — a remarkable statement for a supposed China hawk that turned heads in academic circles. Rubio once touted the work of the U.S. Agency for International Development; now he’s backing its dismantling. Rubio once sought to strengthen ties with America’s allies; now he’s promoting Trump’s threats to invade such friends."
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Indeed, Rubio is now even pushing white nationalist conspiracy theories aligned with Trump and Musk. For instance, he proclaimed, “South Africa is doing very bad things,” on X — a reference to Trump and Musk's vendetta against that country's post-Apartheid land reform policies which far-right white supremacists have claimed is ethnic cleansing against white people.
He even posted, “Make Gaza Beautiful Again,” implying he's on board with Trump's idea to seize and redevelop Gaza.
All of this could have serious consequences for Rubio's own ability to command leadership in the department and do his job.
"Rubio has also lost credibility with his own workforce, which could make it harder for him to implement future policies," said the report. "He has alleged, without offering evidence, that top USAID staffers were insubordinate and tried to 'sneak through payments' in violation of the foreign aid freeze." In doing so, he has upset both "USAID staff who insist the allegations are ignorant and spurious," and "State Department employees who now see Rubio as someone who will turn on them."