No. of Recommendations: 1
How long can this last?
The loudest voices in American foreign policy right now are Trump, going on regular rants against Zelensky and stressing Russian talking points; Vice President J.D. Vance, chastising European leaders and defending Trump’s Russia positions in social media exchanges for which he seems to have a lot of time; and Elon Musk, doing all of this but in a somehow louder, more deranged and offensive way on his social media platform. So where’s our secretary of state? Sure, he was sent to Saudi Arabia for the initial meeting with the Russians earlier this week. Sure, he’s not in any way breaking with Trump publicly. But as the New York Times reported, Rubio has spent much of his week seeking “to reassure nervous European allies that the talks did not represent an abrupt departure from American policies, as many feared.” Instead, the talks were “a test of whether the Kremlin was serious about making a deal, Mr. Rubio said in a call with several European diplomats.” Oh, is that what it was? We’re not sure that the secretary of state is on the same page with his boss. This was always going to be the case with someone like Rubio, who has a notable history as a hawk and a Putin opponent. As Politico has reported, Rubio is already under surveillance by the more MAGA elements of the administration, waiting for him to step one toe out of line before he’s replaced with a lunatic. Rubio does not, to put it mildly, seem to be the Cabinet secretary most likely to make it four years.
Slate
