| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | Presented by |  | | | | 
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be secretary of State, appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. | Alex Brandon/AP | Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) is used to questioning witnesses after his 14 years in the Senate and eight years in the Florida House. But on Wednesday, he was the one getting questions from his soon-to-be-former colleagues to become President-elect DONALD TRUMP’s next secretary of State. Sitting before the Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio called it “surreal” to be in this position, teasing his colleagues that they looked “very distinguished.” He showcased his foreign policy knowledge and appeared on a glide path to the State Department. “I hope I can earn your support, whether you believe I can do a good job or whether you want to get rid of me,” he joked. Rubio hasn’t always had it easy when he’s been in the spotlight, including his unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign against the man who’ll now be his boss. Yet, POLITICO Robbie Gramer’s takeaway from Wednesday was that it was a “not terrible, no drama, very cordial day.” HE GOT A WARM WELCOME. Colleagues from both parties like Rubio and see him as qualified. Sen. TIM KAINE (D-Va.) said he was “very happy” about the pick, while Sen. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.) praised Rubio for his skills for the job and being “well qualified.” Sen. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-Ill.) recalled how, in 2018, she was pushing the upper chamber to change its rules so she could bring her newborn onto the floor. She uses a wheelchair, she explained, and the cloakroom where parents were confined before was not accessible. Rubio “came running down from the back of the Senate chambers” to tell her he supported her. “I was extremely grateful to you for that kindness,” she said. Rubio quipped back: “I think my exact quote was, ‘What’s the big deal? This place is already full of babies.’” STILL, SOME OUTSIDE HECKLERS SHOWED UP. Early in the hearing, anti-war protesters accused Rubio of supporting “forever wars” and, according to POLITICO’s Eric Bazail-Eimil and Nahal Toosi, “left-wing protesters associated with the activist group Code Pink yelled ‘education is a human right’ and castigated him for supporting sanctions on the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.” Rubio waited until Capitol Police escorted the protesters out before continuing his opening remarks and noting that some of the outburst had been in Spanish. Rubio, who’s of Cuban descent, is set to be the first Hispanic person to become secretary of State. HE SHARED SOME THINKING ON FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES AFFECTING FLORIDA. Rubio framed Venezuela’s socialist dictatorship as a threat to U.S. national interests because of mass migration and collaboration with Russia and Iran. He said certain export licenses and other dealings with Venezuela would need to be “re-explored.” “I was in strong disagreement with the Biden administration because they got played the way that I knew they would get played,” he said of the deal reached — and broken — on the Venezuelan elections. He also criticized the Biden administration for lifting some sanctions that Trump put on Cuba during his first term and concluded that “Marxism doesn’t work.” The island nation, he said, was “without a question” a state sponsor of terrorism. NO ‘MASTER PLAN’ FOR HAITI. Rubio warned that the gang-fueled crisis in Haiti wouldn't be fixed “overnight” and had “no easy answer,” but said the incoming administration would support the multinational mission being led by Kenya. He said “stability and security” was needed with help from foreign partners, including in the Western Hemisphere, but without any military intervention from the U.S. He cautioned that the problems also created migration pressures on the U.S. and could destabilize the neighboring Dominican Republic. “It's going to take a long time — and I say this with sadness in my heart — there have been good times and there have been bad times — and worse times — in Haiti, but sadly, there's not really been a golden era in Haiti's history, and your heart breaks for these people and for what they've gone through,” he said. WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis is holding a press conference in Orlando at 10 a.m. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
| | A message from Alibaba: U.S. businesses are succeeding globally by expanding sales to over one billion consumers through Alibaba's online marketplace. Alibaba helps American companies do business abroad, generating more jobs and wages back home. In just one year, sales from U.S. businesses contributed billions of dollars to the U.S. GDP and supported hundreds of thousands of jobs. Learn how Alibaba helps drive global success for U.S. businesses. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | TRUMPLEMENT — Gov. RON DESANTIS just escalated the power struggle with Republican leaders in the legislature to go along with his call for a special session. Flanked by law enforcement officers during a press conference in Winter Haven, Florida, on Wednesday, DeSantis rolled out a slew of proposals aimed at curbing illegal immigration. He wants Florida to create a new role for a state immigration czar, to have people affirm they're U.S. citizens when they register to vote (and face consequences if they lie), and to give state and local officers power to potentially deport people who are living in the U.S. illegally, among other ideas. The press conference was aimed at an audience of three: Trump, who supports the move, as well as state Senate President BEN ALBRITTON and Florida House Speaker DANNY PEREZ, who called DeSantis’ special session plans “irresponsible” and “premature” on Monday. DeSantis called out Republican lawmakers who didn’t support him, saying they were abandoning campaign promises. “You’re basically saying after four years of Biden’s really destructive border policies that it’s somehow premature to act with a new president coming in? Are you kidding me?” DeSantis said. “This is the time to act. We don't have time to wait.” DeSantis stressed that he only released ideas in coordination with what the Trump administration had planned, saying he and Trump have talked and that he talked to Trump’s policy team. The governor's posture is notable in that it shows how he intends to proceed under the next administration: As a governor who will lead a state that he says will work to complement what the federal government does. WHAT’S HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES — The DeSantis administration has been perplexed by the reluctance of legislative leaders to act. One high-ranking member of the administration, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the impasse, said that none of the special session concepts mentioned by the governor should come as a surprise to lawmakers — noting, for example, that DeSantis first started talking about a need to handle the state’s condo crisis last fall. The administration official, however, said the governor's office has heard nothing from legislative leaders about the proposals — although they have heard from rank-and-file members eager to sponsor bills to assist the administration. Neither Perez nor Albritton commented publicly about DeSantis’ remarks on Wednesday. But when asked about the lack of communication between the governor’s office and legislative leaders, spokespeople for both Albritton and Perez said neither legislative leader got much notice that the governor was going to go ahead with a special session. They said they did, however, get a sheet outlining legislative proposals in bullet points last Friday. KATIE BETTA, a spokesperson for Albritton, and AMELIA ANGLETON, a spokesperson for Perez, said in a joint email to POLITICO that Albritton received a call from DeSantis 15 minutes prior to his announcement on Monday that he was calling the session. Perez was flying to Miami when he received a voicemail message. They said that legislative leaders have still not “seen any actual bill language” backed by the governor's office, adding that any member may choose to file a bill. — Gary Fineout REWRITE — “The committee behind a failed Florida ballot initiative that sought to legalize marijuana for adults has filed a new measure [for the midterms] that seeks to address criticism wielded by the opposition campaign led by DeSantis,” reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. The new measure “prohibits public smoking and any products that could be enticing to kids. [It] would also guarantee that the Legislature will be able to make laws and regulations addressing legalization before the measure takes effect, which was another criticism that DeSantis had brought up.” Finally, it specifies that the Legislature could allow people to grow marijuana at home. The DeSantis-aligned group that opposed the amendment before voters in November was previously able to message against it in part by exposing the omission of home grow — and therefore portray it as a money-making scheme for a corporation, POLITICO previously reported. COLLEGE COURSE EDITS — “Florida’s Board of Education approved culling hundreds of courses from being offered as general education options at state colleges ... carrying out a major piece of DeSantis’ agenda to root out ‘woke ideologies’ in higher education,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “The move cements a 57 percent decrease in courses available to count as credit toward graduation at these schools starting in the fall, although students may still be able to take some of them as electives.”
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | | 
Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for attorney general, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 15, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | TODAY — Former Florida Attorney General PAM BONDI is facing the Senate Judiciary Committee again, after starting a round of hearings on Wednesday to be confirmed as the next attorney general under Trump. (Tune in at 10:15 a.m.) How it looked at the outset: Though Bondi was considered to be one of Trump’s more controversial allies, she appears to be winning over senators, including Democrats. Bondi has “engaged in a seemingly effective charm offensive with Senate Democrats, some of whom are already looking for common ground on policy areas like overhauling the criminal justice system and antitrust laws,” reports POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs. How it went: The big takeaway from Bondi’s hearing on Wednesday was that KASH PATEL, Trump’s pick for FBI director, was really the one to take the heat, per POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein. Bondi, who’s set to be Patel’s boss if he’s confirmed, promised she would not politicize the office nor to use the department to go after political opponents. She also, however, wouldn’t say whether she intended to investigate former special counsel JACK SMITH, who oversaw investigations into allegations that Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election and hoarded classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
- Bondi had a tense exchange with Sen. ALEX PADILLA (D-Calif.) over her involvement in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, when she accused him of bullying her by pointing his finger in her direction.
- She also sidestepped questions over whether she believed Trump lost that election and whether she’d enforce the law saying ByteDance must sell TikTok to a new owner or get banned, citing the fact that it was still before the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) waves before then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. | Alex Brandon/AP | GETTING CLOSER — “Rep. Byron Donalds ( R-Fla.) has been telling potential donors and Florida political players that he is running for governor in 2026, the clearest signal yet that his much-expected bid is moving forward,” reports NBC News’ Matt Dixon. He’s staffing up: “Donalds has hired as one of his top Florida advisers Ryan Smith, a former business partner with James Blair, the political director of Trump’s 2024 campaign, who will now serve as a top administration official.” CENTRAL FLORIDA — ERIN HUNTLEY, chair of the Orange County Republican Party, is running for Florida House District 45. She also has held roles in the private sector including at Walt Disney Parks and JetBlue. The seat is currently held by Democratic state Rep. LEONARD SPENCER, who defeated Republican state Rep. CAROLINA AMESTY in November.
| | | | A message from Alibaba:  
| | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | NEXT MOVE — “Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is taking over the Senate GOP’s steering committee, according to two senators and a person familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to speak frankly,” reports POLITICO’s Jordain Carney. “Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has been leading the conservative bloc but stepped down when he won the Energy and Natural Resources Committee gavel.”
| | TRANSITION TIME | | WELCOME TO POLITICO — ISA DOMÍNGUEZ joined POLITICO Florida this week as our spring intern. She recently graduated from Yale, and previously reported for TelevisaUnivision and the Toledo Blade, where she covered the local community. She's a Miami native and getting in the mix at the perfect time, right ahead of the special legislative session. Please add her to your press lists (and say hello — she speaks both English and Spanish!) at idominguez@politico.com. From our D.C. Playbook — “Florida political insiders have long known Rubin, Turnbull & Associates as one of [Florida’s] top lobbying firms. But soon, its name will likely be on the lips of machers in Washington. That’s because on Wednesday, the shop unveiled plans for a new D.C. office that will be led by CAROLINE WILES, [daughter of incoming White House chief of staff SUSIE WILES] as VP of federal affairs.” (Read the announcement here.)
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — Manatees are congregating in waters near nuclear power plants as temperatures dip in Florida, per The Associated Press. — Rep. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-Fla.) may be off the House Oversight Committee, but he’s not done trolling the chair, Rep. JAMES COMER (R-Ky.) over social media. BIRTHDAYS: Meredith Ivey, former spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis and former deputy secretary for the Department of Commerce.
| | A message from Alibaba: Florida businesses like DS Laboratories are achieving global success through Alibaba's online marketplace. It wasn't until the Miami-based company partnered with Alibaba that they started to see an uptick in international sales.
Fernando Tamez, CEO of DS Laboratories, was surprised by how quick and easy it was to start selling globally through Alibaba's e-commerce platform. "I think the ONLY way to enter [an international] market is to partner with Alibaba." He went on to say that "at first, Alibaba seemed too good to be true. Now, we're jumping into every single program they offer."
In just one year, it is estimated that sales on Alibaba by Florida businesses contributed millions to the state's GDP and supported thousands of local jobs.
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