Marco Rubio's foreign policy: 'The world is at its safest when America is at its strongest'

(Image credit: Richard Ellis/Getty Images)

published 13 May 2015

In his first policy speech since announcing a 2016 campaign, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Wednesday called for ramping up military spending to ensure the U.S. can effectively counter any threats around the globe.

"The world is at its safest when America is at its strongest," Rubio said in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Though light on specifics, Rubio outlined three core "pillars" to his foreign policy approach: boosting military funding, articulating America's global vision, and protecting America's economy in an increasingly globalized world. The freshman lawmaker also took a swipe at the likely Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, calling her tenure as secretary of state "ineffective at best and dangerously negligent at worst."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

"We simply cannot afford to elect as our next president one of the leading agents of this administration's foreign policy," Rubio said.

Explore More

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.