Rubio spells out global effects of “America First” policy

After serving more than a decade on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, faced a panel of allies at his confirmation hearing today. The ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, began by expressing her support for Rubio’s appointment. In his opening statement, Rubio rebuked what he called the delusional view that nations can cooperate as “one world” while setting aside their individual interests. He said that approach had weakened the United States’ position on the international stage, but Trump’s “America First” policy could restore global order while strengthening the world.

What does “America First” look like? While responding to questions from committee members, Rubio said he backed Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas. He also thought the International Criminal Court’s prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was flawed. He called for an end to the war in Ukraine, emphasizing that both sides would have to make concessions to stop fighting. He described China as the United States’ biggest competitor for global power and warned of dire consequences if China gained dominance.

How could these policies affect Americans? To strengthen its position abroad, the United States must decrease its reliance on Chinese products and materials, Rubio said. “If we stay on the road we are on right now, in less than 10 years virtually everything that matters to us in life will depend on whether China will allow us to have it or not. Everything from the blood pressure medicine we take to what movies we get to watch and everything in between.”

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read June Cheng’s report on Rubio’s past support of sanctions against China.