Rubio, Waltz nominations presage tough U.S. line on North Korea, China and possibly allies

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will likely nominate Florida senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state and Rep. Michael Waltz as his national security adviser, multiple outlets reported Monday.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, left, greets Sen. Marco Rubio during a campaign rally in North Carolina on Nov. 4. [AP/YONHAP]

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will likely nominate Florida senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state and Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser, multiple outlets reported Monday.

The picks seemingly align with the president-elect's hardline approach to China and defense costs.

Three sources familiar with Trump’s decision-making process said that while the President-elect could still change his mind, he appears settled on Rubio, according to the New York Times report. Trump had previously considered Rubio a potential running mate in the 2024 presidential race.

Rubio, a Republican who has held one of Flordia's senate seats since 2011, has staked out a position as a foreign policy hawk, taking hard lines, particularly toward China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. A ranking member of the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio is known for his interest in Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asian issues, which South Korean observers view favorably.

Rubio has not shied away from harsh criticism of North Korea.

In a 2014 interview on CBS, he called the North Korean regime “a criminal syndicate that controls territory,” adding that Kim Jong-un, its leader, is “mentally unstable” and prone to overestimating his strength, risking a catastrophic miscalculation. Rubio also referred to Kim as a “lunatic” at the second GOP debate in 2015.

Sen. Marco Rubio, left, shakes hands with then-South Korean President Park Geun-hye at the Blue House during his visit to Seoul on Jan. 25, 2014. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

In 2014, Rubio visited South Korea, meeting then-President Park Geun-hye and touring the demilitarized zone. He urged the Barack Obama administration to adopt tougher sanctions against North Korea and raise pressure on its human rights record. Rubio also expressed support for Park’s vision of peaceful reunification under a democratic government.

During the 2016 presidential primaries, Rubio criticized Trump’s stance on U.S. alliances, cautioning that a reduction in American defense commitments could lead allies like Japan and South Korea to pursue nuclear capabilities. “If we walk away from them, Japan and South Korea will become nuclear weapons powers,” he said.

Despite his early criticism, Rubio has since become a loyal Trump ally, endorsing Trump in both the 2020 and 2024 elections. Observers note that Rubio has gradually aligned his foreign policy views with Trump’s “America First” agenda.

In a CNN interview on Nov. 6, shortly after Trump’s election victory, Rubio predicted a “pragmatic foreign policy” under the Trump administration, citing the need for adaptability in a world where adversaries — North Korea, Iran, China and Russia — are increasingly coordinated. “It’s going to require us to be very pragmatic and wise about how we invest overseas and what we do,” he said.

Trump on Monday shared a recent Fox News interview with Lee Zeldin, the former New York congressman whom he tapped as his nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), captioned “previewing foreign policy" under the president-elect's leadership.

In the interview, Zeldin hinted at possible withdrawals or reductions of U.S. troops abroad as a lever to renegotiate defense cost-sharing deals with allies. He said a strong U.S. military should focus on “being America’s defenders instead of a woke social experiment” and stressed the importance of “never sending our troops into harm’s way where they’re set up to fail.”

Rep. Michael Waltz speaks on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin on July 17. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Rubio’s nomination follows Trump’s decision to appoint Congressman Waltz as national security advisor, The Wall Street Journal reported the same day.

Waltz, a Green Beret veteran with several tours in the Middle East and Africa, shares Rubio’s hardline stance on China and is reportedly skeptical of NATO’s role.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul expressed optimism that the South Korea-U.S. alliance will "remain steadfast" under Trump’s second term. Speaking at his first press conference since taking office in January on Tuesday, Cho emphasized that Trump’s policy direction, which calls for expanded roles for allies, aligns with South Korea’s vision as a “global pivotal state.”

Speaking anonymously, a senior South Korean official suggested that while Trump may seek renewed dialogue with North Korea, he is likely to return to his “maximum pressure” strategy.

"It is important that South Korea leads any discussions with North Korea to ensure its interests are reflected in the process," the official stressed.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]