Marco Rubio pivots to America First diplomacy : Consider This from NPR

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and Vice President JD Vance, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28, 2025.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

It’s been a little more than a week since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Vice President JD Vance was in the meeting too. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the nation’s top diplomat, sat on an Oval Office couch, mostly silent, as Trump and Vance berated the Ukrainian leader.

Along the way, the president and vice president made it clear just how much of the established global order they are ready to upend. An order that for most of his career, Rubio has defended, and worked to help hold up.

So what changed …and what do those changes mean?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at [email protected].

This episode was produced by Erika Ryan and Brianna Scott, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.

It was edited by Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.