US presidential elections 2024. Donald Trump reveals new cards – Marco Rubio becomes secretary of state. Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence

“Marco is a highly respected leader and a very strong voice for freedom. He will be a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never give in to our adversaries. I look forward to working with Mark to make America and the world safe and secure again.” excellent!” – Trump wrote in a statement. He thus confirmed earlier media reports about the intention to choose a senator from Florida as the future head of diplomacy USA.

Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, was the deputy chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and was a major rival and sharp critic. Donald Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 election. He then vowed that he would never allow the “charlatan” Trump to take over the party. After Trump's election victory, however, he became much closer to him, advising him, among other things, before his debate with Joe Biden in 2020, and this year he was among the vice presidential candidates under consideration.

READ ALSO: He is to lead American diplomacy. He said this about Ukraine, Russia and China

Originally, the politician was one of the most hawkish on foreign policy issues, but over time his views evolved towards the “America First” approach expressed by Trump. Despite initial support for Ukraine During the protracted dispute over the package of measures for Kiev, Rubio was one of the opponents of the bill, demanding harsh immigration reforms.

Trump also announced his intention to appoint former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, the coordinator of all US intelligence services. Gabbard is a former Democrat accused by Hillary Clinton of working for Russia.

“As a former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, she has broad support in both parties – now she is proud to be a Republican! I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her distinguished career to our Intelligence Community, defending our Constitutional Rights and ensuring Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!” – Trump announced in a statement issued on Wednesday (original spelling).

Gabbard, 43, of Indian descent, is a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard reserve and a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who unsuccessfully ran for the party's presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020 and joined the Republicans in 2024. She is one of the most controversial politicians – she causes controversy within her former party by meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and expressing pro-Russian views, also after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Gabbard questioned the crimes attributed to Assad – a Russian ally – and suggested that the Biden administration was to blame for Russian aggression because it had not ruled out Ukraine's membership in NATO. She criticized anti-Russian sanctions and claimed that Russia and the US “are not that different” in terms of media censorship. She also repeated the Russian narrative about American biolaboratories in Ukraine, where work was allegedly carried out biological weapons. Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger suggested that Gabbard was committing treason, and in 2019, Hillary Clinton suggested that Gabbard was a “Russian favorite” and a Russian agent with whose help the Kremlin was supposed to undermine Democrats' electoral chances in the 2020 elections.

The position of Director of National Intelligence is one of many offices that must be filled by the Senate. Despite the Republican majority, Gabbard cannot be sure of support for her candidacy in the Senate, where the majority of the chamber is made up of politicians from mainstream parties and supporters of support for Ukraine.

However, Senator Markwayne Mullin, who is close to Donald Trump, told the Washington Post that he expects her nomination to be voted on in the Senate. “Democrats can cry as much as they want,” he added.