Rubio's double duty is a tricky Trump test
The secretary tries to play statesman — without stepping on MAGA landmines.
Marco Rubio’s new role as national security adviser will place him closer to President Donald Trump at a higher frequency as the administration struggles to hatch a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
But the added responsibility will also test the bandwidth of the secretary of state, with experts expressing skepticism Rubio will be able to effectively juggle two high-wire positions for half a year or longer, as some officials forecast.
“I honestly don’t see how he can do both jobs,” said John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during Trump’s first term. “Something’s got to give and it’s got to be one job or the other … They will see more quickly than I think they believe that this just isn’t going to work.”
Robert D. Kaplan, an author of 23 books on foreign affairs, described the dynamic as “not a stable situation.” “Managing the State Department, which is a massive bureaucracy, is hard enough for any one person,” he said.
