Beattie is a well-regarded figure in Trump’s orbit whose controversy in 2018 — he appeared at a conference with extreme figures, but was not criticized for anything he said there — barely rates by 2025 standards.
The move offers a glimpse, however, at how Rubio is staffing his department to reassure the MAGA faithful that he’s with the program. Rubio’s director of policy planning is another MAGA intellectual, Michael Anton, whose essay, ”The Flight 93 Election″ made the case for electing Trump in 2016 at any cost.
The role that Beattie is filling on, at least, a temporary basis oversees American public diplomacy abroad, as well as the high-profile office of the department spokesperson in Washington.
