Trump, Rubio set insults aside, find common ground
Relationship turns pragmatic as president, Florida senator cooperate on issues abroad
Marco Rubio was on Air Force One flying into Miami on June 16 for an important announcement on Cuba when he directed President Trump’s attention to the marshy expanse below.
“You have a chance to go down as the Everglades president,” Florida’s Republican senator told Trump as they flew over the River of Grass undergoing a multibillion- dollar restoration. “What a great legacy.”
The moment underscored Rubio’s ascendant role as a confidant of Trump’s. Here he was with the president, heading to his home state to help the leader of the free world unveil a tough policy the senator played an instrumental role in shaping on the country his parents once called home. That he had the opportunity to personally pitch Florida’s most ambitious public works project was an added bonus.
It might seem odd that Rubio has found fellowship with someone he once called a “con artist” and traded raunchy insults with on the campaign trail last year. Trump dubbed Rubio as “little” and accused him of having a sweating problem.
Even after Rubio endorsed Trump for president following his exit from the race, the senator punctuated the divide by not appearing with Trump during Florida visits in the general election campaign.
But the two have put aside differences to forge a pragmatic relationship. They’ve found common ground on foreign policy issues involving Cuba, China and Venezuela.
When he announced his revamped policy toward the Castro regime in June, Trump expressed his “deep gratitude” to Rubio, calling him “a man who has really become a friend of mine.”
While other Republican senators such as John McCain of Arizona, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Susan Collins of Maine have freely criticized the president, Rubio has kept his powder relatively dry on a president who prizes loyalty.
At an Intelligence Committee hearing in June featuring FBI Director James Comey, Rubio bemoaned the volume of leaks “left and right” stemming from the agency’s probe into alleged Russian meddling in last year’s election and any connections between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
“Ever wonder why of all the things in this investigation, the only thing that’s never been leaked is the fact that the president was not personally under investigation despite the fact that both Democrats and Republicans in the leadership of Congress knew that and have known that for weeks,” the senator told Comey.
Rubio, who had dined at the White House with Trump that week, went on Twitter after criticism of his aggressive questioning surfaced, saying, “I didn’t defend or attack anyone.”
Rubio says he has grown to enjoy the Senate after he declared his frustration with the job and skipped dozens of votes when he was running for the White House. He decided to return to the Senate after pledging last year he would not seek a second term.
A key reason for his optimism is that he has an ally in the Oval Office.
“Now I come back with six years of experience, access to the White House, better understanding of how the process works,” he told CBS 4 Miami in an interview that aired last week. “And I feel good about the progress we’ve made. I’m enjoying and fulfilled by the work we’ve been doing.”
Brian Ballard, a Tallahassee- based lobbyist who supported Rubio for president before becoming Trump’s state finance chairman, said the two men have a genuine affection for each other that made it easier to get past the verbal volleys they lobbed at each other.
“When the election goes the right way, it cures a lot of things,” he said.
Rubio has forcefully countered Trump’s claim that Russia did not meddle in the U. S. election. And he voted for a bill to make sure the president could not dial back economic sanctions against Moscow without congressional approval. And he’s publicly wished that Trump would take a harder stance on global human rights.
But Rubio hasn’t gone out of his way to personally slam the president, keenly aware that his agenda on Florida issues and foreign affairs has a better chance of success with Trump in the fold.
“If I have an opportunity to influence the administration’s policy in a positive direction, I’m going to seek that,” he said in a recent human rights interview.
Rubio’s been a frequent visitor to the White House, having dined or personally met with Trump or Vice President Pence several times. Tuesday, he and two other lawmakers met with Pence to discuss geopolitics in the Western Hemisphere.
“I can’t think of a more valuable ally the administration has had in the Senate than Marco,” Ballard said. “I think the relationship’s only going to grow stronger.”