All posts tagged "Secretary Of State"

An MSNBC columnist pointed out the painful "symbolism" represented by President Donald Trump's decision to replace Mike Waltz as national security advisory, a post he held for just over 100 days.

On Thursday, Trump announced that Marco Rubio would take over Waltz's post temporarily, while also serving as Secretary of State.

"The symbolism of Rubio taking Waltz’s job is almost too on the nose — even for this administration," wrote Michael A. Cohen. "It’s not merely an indication that MAGA world will flush out the unrepentant hawks who once dominated Republican foreign policy — and are now as close to extinction as the once-flourishing 'Republican free trade' caucus. It’s also a reminder that the key to staying in Trump’s good graces is to simply parrot — and help implement — whatever insane policy idea pops into the president’s head."...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he's making sweeping cuts at the State Department just days after claiming a "Trump draft order" for the cuts were a “hoax” and “fake news.”

Rubio posted to X Tuesday, "Today is the day. Under @POTUS’ leadership and at my direction, we are reversing decades of bloat and bureaucracy at the State Department. These sweeping changes will empower our talented diplomats to put America and Americans first."

Rubio's post included a reference to the programs that would be cut but didn't give specifics. ...

Conservative commentator and MAGA critic Ana Navarro-Cárdenas had some sharp words for Secretary of State Marco Rubio's praise of the Trump administration's sweeping tariffs that may well spark a global trade war.

Navarro-Cárdenas claimed she has known Rubio for 30 years, from their early days in Miami, FL, politics. She has been highly critical of Rubio's descent into MAGA policies, where he once called Donald Trump a "con artist" who "hijacked the conservative movement."

Rubio was present in the Rose Garden Wednesday when Trump declared "liberation day" and signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs affecting some 65 countries....

Former President Donald Trump could tap his son-in-law Jared Kushner as Secretary of State if he wins another term, reported Vanity Fair on Wednesday.

"According to two sources, prominent Republicans are speculating that Kushner is in the running to take charge at Foggy Bottom if Trump wins in November," reported Gabriel Sherman. "One source briefed on the conversations said Republican senators have privately asked Kushner to head up the agency." Sources also said that Kushner, who walked away from politics to work in investment, will take until late summer to make his decision.

Kushner served in a White House advisory role in the previous Trump term. While he was not formally a diplomat, Trump frequently tapped him for foreign policy projects, and he was involved in the negotiation of deals between Israel and Arab states known as the Abraham Accords....

Maine's Secretary of State is making Trump pay for igniting an insurrection.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows appeared on CNN to set the record straight shortly after denying the 45th president from appearing on the 2024 GOP primary ballot.

She said: "The weight of the evidence brought forward under Maine law... made it clear that Mr. Trump was aware of the tinder he laid in a multi-month effort to challenge the legitimacy of the 2020 election and then in an unprecedented and tragic series of events chose to light a match." ...

Watch as Secretary of State John F. Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and General Martin E. Dempsey (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in an unclassified hearing about the Congressional authorization for the use of force in Syira.