Rubio Cedes 3 Major Crises, Pushing 100-Page Cuba Campaign Instead
Updated
Updated · ms.now · Aug 19
Rubio Cedes 3 Major Crises, Pushing 100-Page Cuba Campaign Instead
3 articles · Updated · ms.now · Aug 19
Summary
Marco Rubio has largely stayed out of the Trump administration’s highest-profile diplomacy on Iran, Gaza and Ukraine-Russia, even as he serves as both secretary of state and national security adviser.
Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff have instead led the Gaza and Iran files, including a 14-point Iran memorandum in June that later collapsed; Rubio has had no public role in in-person Iran negotiations.
Rubio has concentrated on the Western Hemisphere, especially Cuba and Venezuela, attaching his name to nearly every Cuba action and championing a 100-page State Department report on Cuban espionage and influence efforts.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott defended Rubio by citing 175,000 visa revocations, disaster response and coalition-building, while the White House pointed to Trump’s comments that Rubio was involved in Iran talks.
Former U.S. diplomats said bypassing the secretary of state for handpicked emissaries weakens institutional diplomacy, leaves foreign counterparts unsure who speaks for Washington, and reflects a dysfunctional national security structure.