Top 5 standout moments from Rubio's Senate confirmation hearing: "I encounter bilingual protesters"

On Wednesday, Florida's Republican Senator Marco Rubio passed his confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, virtually guaranteeing that he will become the top diplomat under the new Trump administration in the near future.

The confirmation hearing of Rubio was characterized by cordiality, with both Democrats and Republicans commending his contributions to the Senate and his expertise in tackling intricate global issues.

Here were the top moments from Rubio’s hearing.

PROTESTERS

Although Rubio was welcomed by his Senate colleagues, his hearing was not entirely free of contention.

Several protesters from Code Pink interrupted the Secretary of State-hopeful's opening remarks, wearing pink shirts that read "stop killing the children of Gaza" as they protested the Israel-Hamas war.

Before a female protester yelled out in Spanish, two male demonstrators were forced to leave the chamber.

She was quickly escorted from the room and the hearing promptly restarted.

Rubio grinned as he addressed the panel of Senators, saying, "I have bilingual protesters."

IN JEST

The tone of Rubio's hearing seemed to be set by his quip about the protesters.

Despite facing tough geopolitical questions on nearly every continent, Rubio's Senate colleagues joked around with him.

Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott introduced Rubio at the beginning of the hearing and joked that "finally" he will become the senior Senator of Florida after serving together in the upper chamber since 2019.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey joked, "President-elect Rubio made a wise choice in selecting you."

"While you are a prominent figure in foreign policy, I believe that many Americans are unaware of your expertise in NCAA, NFL, and high school football. I am disappointed that you are not currently leading the NCAA."

"Not yet," Rubio responded, eliciting laughter from the audience.

During a rare bipartisan moment during Rubio's Cabinet nomination hearings, Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth shared a heartfelt story about her initial meeting with Rubio, in contrast to her tough grilling of Pete Hegseth the previous day.

In 2018, Duckworth, who was new to the upper chamber, was advocating for a change in the Senate's rules to allow new parents to bring their infant onto the floor during a vote.

Duckworth, who survived a 2004 RPG attack on her helicopter in Iraq and is now physically disabled, described rolling across the Senate floor in her wheelchair when she heard someone call out her name.

"She said, "I came running down from the Senate chambers to tell you, 'I'm with you. I will support you,' and I just want to thank you for your kindness. It was a moment of true bipartisanship.""

Rubio replied, "I meant to say, 'What's the big deal? This place is already full of babies,'" which elicited laughter.

SERIOUS MATTERS

The five-hour hearing was not enjoyable, as Rubio faced tough questions about critical security matters such as the conflict in Ukraine, China, NATO, and Arctic security.

No one was surprised by Rubio's tough stance on China and his dedication to maintaining a strong alliance with NATO.

One area where Senators may have hoped Rubio would have given a clearer stance was on the continued support for Ukraine and how the incoming Trump administration would handle the question of Ukraine joining NATO.

While both Ukraine and Russia have expressed a willingness to negotiate a ceasefire, achieving a lasting peace agreement may be challenging due to Ukraine's desire to join NATO, which is opposed by both Kyiv and Moscow.

"In this conflict, Russia cannot take all of Ukraine because the Ukrainians are too brave and fight too hard, and the country is too big," he stated.

Rubio stated that Ukraine cannot push Russian troops all the way back to their positions before the invasion.

Rubio stated that Ukraine will struggle to maintain its position in the conflict due to the overwhelming number of troops Russia can deploy.

""This will require a lot of hard diplomacy," Rubio said."

THE CHINA PROBLEM

In nearly every issue that Rubio was questioned about, the security threats posed by China were brought up, including its expanding influence in Africa and Latin America, its authoritarian actions in the South China Sea, trade concerns, human rights violations, and its increasing ties with other adversarial nations in the tech sector.

Recently, there has been less attention given to China's role in the Panama Canal compared to other headlines.

"He stated that the Chinese companies' control of port facilities at both ends of the Panama Canal, which has been in existence for at least a decade, was a concern among military and security officials, including those in Panama, as it could potentially be used as a choke point to impede commerce in the event of conflict."

He stated that this is a legitimate issue that must be addressed.

Earlier this month, the issue of Chinese control over the major waterway reemerged when Trump declined to specify whether he would exclude military intervention in the Panama Canal.

Despite being questioned about the legal aspects of U.S. intervention in Panama, Rubio stated that he was not yet knowledgeable enough to provide a comprehensive answer.

KAINE GUSHES

Virginia Democrat Senator Tim Kaine praised Rubio's readiness for his confirmation hearing as the next secretary of state, in contrast to his tense interaction with Hegseth during his hearing the previous day.

We typically encounter nominees who are knowledgeable about specific topics but have limited understanding of many others. However, I believe you've witnessed a hearing with a nominee who, regardless of their agreement with the points they made, spoke confidently without relying on a briefing book.

"Since I joined the Senate in January 2013, I have been impressed by Senator Rubio's well-developed sense of the world and his passion for various issues."

The committee and many senators expressed confidence that Rubio will be unanimously confirmed for the top job, as Kaine's sentiment was shared by all.