Senator Rubio is assuring his Senate colleagues that he will be a secretary of state for all Americans, but especially the middle class that he says has been taken advantage of by Communist China and other adversaries that have abused the post-Cold War international order. At his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, he decried the “dangerous delusion” that emerged after the Cold War which assumed all nations would move toward liberal democracy and commitment to human advancement. 

Mr. Rubio is widely expected to sail through the confirmation process, with many of his colleagues — Republican and Democrat — praising him as a thoughtful, experienced foreign policy expert. On Wednesday, he laid out his “peace through strength” vision for American foreign policy, with a touch of President Trump’s America First populism. 

“Here in America and in many of the advanced economies across the world, an almost religious commitment to free and unfettered trade — at the expense of our national economy — shrunk the middle class, left the working class in crisis, collapsed our industrial capacity, and has pushed critical supply chains into the hands of adversaries and of rivals,” Mr. Rubio said in his opening statement. “An irrational zeal for maximum freedom of movement of people has resulted in the historic mass migration crisis. Here in America … it’s one that threatens the stability of societies and of governments.”

The Florida senator spoke on a wide issue of subjects from China to the necessity of American security agreements with Israel to ending the Russian war in Ukraine. 

In response to a question from Senator Risch about the International Criminal Court’s decision to indict Prime Minister Netanyahu and a former Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, Mr. Rubio said the ICC has set an incredibly “dangerous precedent.” 

“This is a test run. This is a trial run to see, ‘can we go after a head of state of a nation that’s not a member?’” Mr. Rubio said. “If [they] can go after them and we can get it done with regards to Israel, they will apply that to the United States at some point, and in fact there have been threats to do so in the past.”

On Israel’s pursuit of Hamas at Gaza, Mr. Rubio tore into the ICC for its “moral equivalency” between Messrs. Netanyahu and Gallant, and the leadership of Hamas. 

“Hamas carried out an atrocious operation” on October 7, 2023, Mr. Rubio said. “They went into concerts, they went into these music festivals … they knew that these were teenagers and young families.”

“In the case of Israel responding to that attack, [it] has had to go after Hamas. How can you co-exist? How can any nation state on the planet co-exist, side-by-side with a group of savages like Hamas? They have to defend their national security and their national interest,” Mr. Rubio said. 

Under questioning from Senator McCormick, Mr. Rubio commented on the threat of drugs, violence, and human trafficking as a result of cartels in Mexico — groups which Mr. Rubio says “unfortunately” have “operational control” of large swaths of Mexico. 

Mr. Rubio said Trump’s threat of using military force against the cartels is on the table. 

“That’s an option that the president has at his disposal,” the nominee said in response. “Obviously, it’s not one that is in the purview of the Department of State. I think President Trump is someone that never publicly discusses his options.”

Beyond specific policy issues, in a good sign for his nomination, Mr. Rubio was welcomed warmly by his Democratic colleagues on the committee. 

“It’s a bit surreal to be on this side of the room, but you all look very distinguished,” Mr. Rubio said to his fellow senators, prompting a laugh from both Democrats and Republicans. 

His Democratic colleagues praised him effusively at the hearing on Tuesday, signaling a quick confirmation by a broad, bipartisan vote, likely within hours of Trump’s inauguration. Senator Fetterman and Senator Durbin, who are both Democrats, have said they will back him for the role. Even some of the lawmakers in the Democratic caucus’s more liberal wing have said they are open to voting for Mr. Rubio, with Senator Schiff calling him “enormously well-qualified” and Senator Warren saying he has the requisite “experience” to do the job. 

At his confirmation hearing Wednesday, the top Democrat on the committee, Senator Shaheen, mentioned the work that she had done with Mr. Rubio as colleagues on the Foreign Relations panel over the years, and praised him for his experience. 

“I believe you have the skills and are well-qualified to serve as secretary of state, but today I want to find out a little more about what this administration is thinking about American foreign policy, and the State Department in particular,” she said. “I believe this committee has a responsibility to get your team out in the field, and we hope you’ll send us qualified, experienced, and well-vetted nominees.”