Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to become secretary of state, found a mostly welcome reception Wednesday during his confirmation hearing. He aligned himself with Trump’s foreign policy positions while also keeping the skeptical tone toward many foreign nations that has been his calling card during his 14 years in the Senate.

Appearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Rubio called China a top threat to the United States and said the war in the Ukraine needs to come to an end. He echoed concerns about growing Chinese influence over the Panama Canal that Trump has voiced, saying it was not a new issue. Trump recently refused to rule out the use of military force when it comes to the fate of the Panama Canal.

“President Trump is not inventing this, this is something that’s existed now for at least a decade,” Rubio said, adding that China could turn the canal into a “choke point” because it controls port facilities at both ends.

Rubio, who is Cuban American, disagreed sharply with the decision announced this week by the Biden administration to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. After President Joe Biden took that action, the island nation announced it would release more than 500 prisoners.

Rubio would not commit to senators that the Trump administration would reinstate the terrorism designation, saying that decision would be up to Trump. But Rubio added that “nothing that was agreed to is irreversible and binding on the administration.”

Power clash

Rubio, who served as a state legislator and speaker of the Florida House before he ran for U.S. Senate, clashed loudly with Trump when both were running for president in 2016. But after Trump won the nomination, which included a thumping of Rubio soundly in the Florida primary, the two forged an alliance. Rubio emerged as an influential voice on foreign policy, especially as it came to countries in Latin America.

Rubio was reportedly on a short list to become Trump’s vice president, but reports at the time said that some Trump supporters were skeptical about Rubio noting — for example, that he did not object to the election results of 2020.

Rubio supports NATO

Rubio’s confirmation could come as soon as next week and even several Democrats on the committee expressed support for him.

It was during the hearing that news emerged that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire deal including a release of hostages.

Rubio defended Israel during his remarks and said that Hamas had used civilians as shields during the 15-month war. He defended the North American Treaty Organization even though Trump has been critical of the organization. Rubio insisted Trump supports NATO but said he agreed with the president-elect that European countries need to contribute more to help pay for their own defense.

Rubio said he still supports a law he co-sponsored that prevents any president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without approval from Congress.

The hearing was briefly interrupted by protesters, with one person yelling at Rubio about “forever wars” while another protester could be heard speaking in Spanish about babies in Nicaragua and Cuba. “I get bilingual protesters,” Rubio quipped afterward.

DeSantis’ Senate pick

Rubio’s imminent departure from the Senate will give Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a chance to appoint someone to hold the seat until it comes up for election in 2026. DeSantis said this week that he had talked about the position with U.S. Reps. Kat Cammack and Cory Mills, but said he was unlikely to appoint someone now in the House because Republicans hold such a slim majority in the chamber.

Some media outlets have flagged Attorney General Ashley Moody as a top contender to replace Rubio.

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