Many career diplomats believe that Marco Rubio, the man tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be secretary of state, is facing a grim future should he gain Senate confirmation.
In interviews with Politico, many diplomats predicted that Rubio would last two years on the job at most, with many going so far as to say that he would be out in less than a year.
At issue is the fact that Rubio is already being undermined by many of his purported allies in Trump's orbit, and these officials argued that they would waste no time in launching a concerted campaign to undermine him right from the start.
In fact, Politico writes that the only way for Rubio to hang on longer than expected is to have a high tolerance for personal "abuse" from the incoming president.
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“Rubio will be fairly hamstrung and will feel sidelined and frustrated,” one diplomat told the publication. “If he is surly or complains, the humiliation will escalate and then he will be fired. If he sucks it up, takes the humiliation and smiles through gritted teeth, he will survive until someone else whispers in Trump’s ear and angles for his job.”
The report adds that Trump has already appointed several people to diplomatic positions that may have knives out for Rubio, including envoy Richard Grenell and former Fox News personality Tammy Bruce, who has previously trashed Rubio publicly.
One former Trump administration official predicted that Grenell in particular would eat Rubio alive.
"Do you think Marco is going to tell Ric Grenell when he can go see the president? Of course not,” they said.