Wednesday, November 11, 2026

The evolution of Marco Rubio : Consider This from NPR : NPR

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President-elect Donald Trump with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) earlier this month. Rubio is Trump’s pick for Secretary of State.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images


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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images


President-elect Donald Trump with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) earlier this month. Rubio is Trump’s pick for Secretary of State.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

When compared to some of president-elect Trump’s other cabinet picks, Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State is a pretty conventional choice.

He’s a veteran politician who served on the foreign relations and intelligence committees for over a decade, and he’s been a loyal Trump backer throughout this year’s campaign.

But when you look back at Marco Rubio during his 2016 presidential campaign, there’s a striking contrast.

When he ran against Trump in 2016, Rubio called him a con artist, and described his style of leadership as dangerous. Now, he’s going to work for him.

Marco Rubio’s political evolution is indicative of how the Republican Party has remade itself around Donald Trump, and it gives some clues about how he may operate as the nation’s top diplomat.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at [email protected].

This episode was produced by Connor Donevan.

It was edited by Courtney Dorning

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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