Former Sen. Marco Rubio's brief tenure as secretary of state was panned on MSNBC on Friday morning by the New York Times' expert on foreign trade and affairs who labeled the Florida Republican as nothing more than a yes-man for Donald Trump.
Pointing to Trump's on-again, off-again tariff battle with key U.S. allies in a global economy along with his shunting Rubio off to the side as he and Vice President J.D. Vance battled with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Times' Tom Friedman noted Rubio went from a position of power in the U.S. Senate to a "bobblehead."
"Trump one was surrounded by buffers, responsible, intelligent adults, so when he came back from a night at the Mar-a-Lago restaurant or bar with some crazy idea, those buffers would contain it," Friedman told the "Morning Joe" hosts. "This Trump two is built around amplifiers. He comes back with some crazy a-- idea from the last person he talked to and these guys amplify it."
ALSO READ: 'Gotta be kidding': Jim Jordan scrambles as he's confronted over Musk 'double standard'
"There's Marco Rubio though," he elaborated. "Marco Rubio is setting a land speed record for making himself irrelevant as secretary of state; He's basically secretary of state to Panama, okay?"
"And one reason is because Trump comes up with some crazy idea in Gaza or whatever that he's not briefed on, and Marco Rubio just amplifies it," the columnist accused. "Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, just amplifies it."
"Previously, buffers contained it and that's what scares me most for the long run," he added. "He's surrounded by amplifiers now, ––bobbleheads and not buffers."
You can watch below or at the link right here.