Following his expected approval by a full vote in the Senate after his confirmation hearings, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) will step into his new role as secretary of state with less influence and diminished responsibilities compared to his predecessors.
According to a report from Axios, while Rubio has held back from speaking with foreign leaders until after his confirmation hearings, multiple Trump envoys have been burning up the phones and doing their own negotiating long before the president-elect is sworn in and assumes power.
Under an Axios headline claiming, "Rubio's toughest diplomacy task may be in Trump's Washington," journalist Barak Ravid wrote, "Rubio has extensive foreign policy and national security experience from his years in the Senate, but he isn't a member of Trump's inner circle. He'll have to fight for influence and for Trump's ear as the U.S. decides how to handle a range of conflicts and alliances around the world," adding, "Some key foreign policy issues are run from the White House in most administrations, but Trump has appointed numerous presidential envoys and given them many of the State Department's responsibilities."
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The report notes that Trump already has envoys working on Middle East issues, the Gaza crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine while Rubio is staying out of the fray.
Particularly vexing to Rubio having full authority is Trump appointee Rick Grenell having a broad mandate from the president-elect to involve himself wherever he wants.
"His broad job description could allow him to get involved in many other foreign policy files and step on the State Department's turf," Ravid is reporting. "A source with knowledge of the situation said Grenell would be best positioned to succeed Rubio if he leaves the administration in a year or two as many Trump administration insiders expect."
You can read the whole Axios report here.