President Donald Trump just called Marco Rubio the greatest Secretary of State in history, on the occasion of the freeing of the Israeli hostages but that label doesn't quite ring true if we take a look at Rubio's record so far.

His first nine months are up and that merits a careful look. From freedom of speech violations to shutting down the US development agency to a China misguided policy, Rubio's leadership so far has been subpar.

He still wears the hat of a Senator. His strength is not foreign policy.

Rubio has clear ambitions to become US President in 2028, hoping to beat JD Vance for the Republican nomination. For this, however, he will need President Trump's endorsement. This is why anything the State Department does over the next several years will be under the banner of pleasing Trump – and that's not leadership.

Freedom of speech violations

In an authoritarian move, Rubio violated the freedom of speech of hundreds of international students who speak out in support of Palestine. The State Department revoked over 6000 international student visas for reasons that include "support for terrorism", which is a euphemism for students' criticism of Israel's genocide against the Palestinians. Freedom of speech applies also to international students. Rubio called the student protestors "lunatics".

A federal judge ruled that Rubio violated the Constitution  when he stripped activist Mahmoud Khalil of his green card and ordered him deported over his pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University. The court ruled that Rubio's policy has a chilling effect.

Furthermore, Rubio slapped sanctions on UN Special Raporteur Francesca Albanese. She has been a strong critical voice in support of Palestine.

Under Rubio, we witnessed the shrinking of civic space.

Misguided China policy

Rubio is a China and Iran hawk. He recently stated that China is "the largest, most-advanced adversary America has ever faced". 'The future of the 21st Century is going to largely be defined by what happens in the Indo-Pacific," Rubio said in November . "And I think China would love for us to be bogged down in Europe in a conflict and not focused on what's happening in the Indo-Pacific."

Rubio would like to see a China escalation. A new Cold War against China is a misguided and dangerous course of action. China encirclement could only lead to a major conflict and eventually would result in China retaliating at some point, as a reasonable response to US foreign policy.

Venezuela

Shutting down USAID

Rubio shut down the US development agency which is nothing to be proud of.

Rubio in March announced that 83 percent of USAID programs that provided life-saving water, food and medical aid would be cut. The State Department eliminated 85% of programs run by the US Agency for International Development in a sweeping six-week purge that has done away with entire categories of development work that took decades to build up, as Joseph Gedeon argued in The Guardian .

The State Department announced that it has terminated various foreign assistance-funded grants and contracts, across USAID and State Department, inconsistent with administration priorities with total value exceeding $80 billion. The stated goal was "refocusing taxpayer dollars with our national and strategic interests".  

Rubio announced the massive cuts, posting that roughly 5,200 of USAid's 6,200 global programs have been terminated. The surviving initiatives were absorbed by the State Department. USAID is officially gone.

Rubio received criticism by Senate Democrats in May this year. Senator Chris Van Hollen said he thought Rubio would stand up for democracy and human rights around the world. "You haven't. You've done the opposite," Van Hollen said. "And you used to speak with conviction about the importance of foreign aid as a tool to advance American values and interests."

The USAID shut down is an example of the way Rubio's presidential ambitions will define the State Department's direction going forward. The will to please Trump will be Rubio's guiding light. He will have to follow Trump if he wants to have a chance in 2028. But that's not leadership.

Greatest Secretary of State? I don't think so.

Iveta Cherneva is an author and analyst in the areas of foreign policy, security and human rights. She is the author of several books. Her opinions and commentaries appear in Foreign Policy, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Salon, National Interest, Euronews, The Guardian, The Geopolitics and a number of academic journals. She has worked for the UN, Congress and Oxford.