by PAOLA NAGOVITCH
Marco Rubio has been preparing for this pivotal moment in his political career. The Florida senator, the son of Cuban immigrants, will become the first Latino Secretary of State in the future Donald Trump administration. Rubio comes to this role with extensive foreign policy experience, having served on both the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees, and he is ready to shake up U.S. policy toward Latin America.
Judging by the statements he has made about the region throughout his political career, Rubio is likely to support populist leaders like Argentina’s Javier Milei, whom he has called “a breath of fresh air.” Meanwhile, he will likely distance himself from left-wing governments in countries such as Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. His stance on Cuba and Venezuela will also be firm: Rubio will seek to halt any attempts at rapprochement with Cuba and will push for tougher sanctions against Venezuela’s “narco-dictatorship.”
In an April article for National Interest, Rubio urged the U.S. to embrace a “new generation of potentially pro-American leaders” in Latin America, highlighting conservative governments in Argentina, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Peru as key allies. “These leaders expressed strong support for the American-led international order, as well as a strong desire for greater economic collaboration with the United States,” Rubio wrote. “I think it is in our national interest to reciprocate this willingness.”
Here is a compilation of some of the key statements Marco Rubio has made about Latin America, organized by country and in chronological order.
Argentina
On Javier Milei:
“Milei deserves praise for […] fulfilling one of his most important guarantees: keeping Argentina out of the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) trade group… Milei’s socialist predecessor, Alberto Fernandez, cozied up to both Moscow and Beijing, and he called joining BRICS a ‘great opportunity.’ That would have been a disaster for Argentina.” (Op-ed in Real Clear World, January 2024)
“Milei is a friend, and the United States should support him […] [Milei] is a breath of fresh air. […] President Biden should use the United States’ influence at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help President Milei restructure Argentina’s debt.” (Article published on the Medium platform in December 2023)
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