Marco Rubio Is Not the Adult in the Room. He’s the Warmonger.

Earlier this year, after losing their majority in the November elections, Senate Democrats fought over a number of President Trump’s Cabinet picks. But Marco Rubio was not one of them. The Senate unanimously confirmed him as secretary of state in January – for two reasons.

First, Rubio spent more than a decade in the Senate, one of the world’s nastiest and most insular legislative bodies. And second, the former Florida senator had built a reputation as level-headed, reasonable, and willing to compromise — at least by the standards of the MAGA-era Republican Party. Senate Democrats were no doubt relieved to see Rubio running the State Department rather than, say, Steve Bannon.

You probably remember the “adults in the room” reporting during Trump’s first term: a reference to establishment figures within the administration who were thought to have brought much-needed stability and experience to a presidency sorely lacking in both; these men would temper Trump’s worst instincts. But in January, Trump 2.0 took a very different form. He was tired of adults; his administration was going to be filled to the gills with crazy people, losers and incompetents. Rubio was an exception, however. He would be an adult in the room – perhaps the only one.

One could argue that this is true. Yes, Rubio, who has since added the acting titles national security advisor And acting national archivist to his wallet – has had his share of insane moments, like his recent order change the State Department’s default communications font to Times New Roman because the Calibri font was too woke. But for the most part, especially compared to colleagues like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (a murderous idiot) or Attorney General Pam Bondi (just an idiot, but a very big), Rubio ran a tight ship. While Trump’s second term has been defined by gross excesses, incompetence and chaos, the State Department has largely conducted its business without controversy.

But that’s the problem: Rubio’s work this year should be controversial. Since taking office, he has transformed the State Department into a ruthless and effective arm of the administration’s broader efforts to suppress dissent, demonize and punish immigrants, both legal and undocumented. Perhaps more surprising, given his long history as a foreign policy hawk, that he has worked slavishly to reshape American foreign policy to Trump’s precise specifications: dismantling long-standing alliances and cozying up to dictatorial regimes while making the world more dangerous and unstable. Now, as the year draws to a close, he’s pushing the U.S. towards war.