On December 19, 2024, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Wednesday, December 18th. Rubio is the Secretary of State nominee chosen by the incoming President Trump.
According to Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, Vedant Patel, during a routine press conference, “Secretary Blinken had the opportunity to meet with Senator Rubio this morning.”
“It was a good, constructive, and substantive dialogue,” Patel said. “As we mentioned during their first phone call, we expect them to have further contact at some point. We will continue to be prepared to help facilitate a seamless transition on January 20th.”
The Trump team has deployed an “agency review team” at the State Department to work with various offices, ensuring Rubio and his team can start working on the day Trump takes office.
Rubio’s nomination is pending confirmation by the Senate, but it is estimated that he should receive support from his Senate colleagues.
Cooperation between the Biden and Trump teams in foreign policy largely focuses on the National Security Council at the White House, but officials, including Blinken, are also engaging with their counterparts.
The Trump transition team has declined to comment on the size or composition of the State Department agency review team and the meeting between Blinken and Rubio.
Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Trump’s chosen National Security Advisor, Congressman Mike Waltz, frequently communicate on a range of issues.
On December 8th, Sullivan stated at the Reagan Defense Forum, “We are engaging with the incoming national security team and have confidence in them.”
Sullivan also said, “President Biden has directed us that our job is to ensure a smooth transition on behalf of the American people.”
Waltz previously mentioned on a Fox News program that both sides are closely cooperating.
Earlier this week, sources informed Reuters that Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg plans to travel to Kyiv next month, having already visited several other European capitals, indicating Trump’s urgent desire to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Kellogg stated in an interview with Fox News, “This shows that we are rapidly executing missions both before and after the inauguration ceremony. It’s an attitude… We hope to complete the mission as soon as possible.”