Rubio dodges Sec of State inquiry, says US to pursue ‘pragmatic foreign

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U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) didn’t reveal if he will serve in a Trump administration but did note that there will be an emphasis on “pragmatic foreign policy.”

The ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee weighed in on the sweeping victory of President-elect Donald Trump “fundamentally remaking the Republican Party.”

He noted that it represented “not a partisan re-alignment but an American re-alignment.”

(Video Credit: CNN)

“Donald Trump appealed to Americans as Americans irrespective of your background or your customs or what music you listen to or how your last name is pronounced,” Rubio said. “This is more than just a realignment. I hope it’s a realization that when you come to this country and you put your roots down here and you raise your children here, you become an American and everything from our economy to our safety to our national security matter as much to you as they do to anybody else in this country.”

Rubio was asked if he was interested in a role in the incoming administration as his name has been floated for a secretary of state position.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee member said he was “interested in serving this country” and noted, “I’m doing it now in the United States Senate.”

“I’m not trying to play coy, it’s just, literally, just a few hours removed from this election. I haven’t had any set conversations with anybody in the Trump administration,” Rubio added. “Either way, I plan to work with them, whether it’s in the Senate, which is an important place to be, or in some other capacity.”

With Republicans having gained back the majority in the Senate after Tuesday’s elections, Rubio was asked about leadership, telling CNN that Sen. Rick Scott “would be a great majority leader.”

“We’ve got great people running. That’s the truth. I like them all. Obviously, Rick Scott is my home state senator,” he said. “We’ll see how it all plays out. Ultimately, I think whoever our next leader is, has to be somebody who understands what happened here, what voters are telling us.”

The Florida Republican went on to speak about the issues facing lawmakers who will serve under Trump in January, noting that “we’ve got a very dangerous world that’s going to require immediate attention.”

He warned about the ties between Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China during the CNN interview, noting that the U.S. has to be “very pragmatic and wise in how we invest overseas and what we do, how we approach things.”

“We know that the Russians have been involved in attempted sabotage operations throughout Europe as a way of inflicting costs on nations in Europe that are assisting Ukraine, and I think that’s an area we need to focus on and that the Trump administration would make a priority, in my opinion,” Rubio said.

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.