Trump's State Department Hire Could Undermine Rubio on US's China Policy

President Donald Trump's pick for a top State Department position has sparked controversy and raised questions over whether his views on China will clash with the agenda of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email with a request for comment.

Why It Matters

Darren Beattie has been appointed as under-secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, an office tasked with shaping the U.S. government's global messaging and promoting American values abroad. Beattie, a former speechwriter for Trump during his first term, was fired in 2018 after a CNN report revealed he had spoken at a conference frequented by white nationalists.

Since then, Beattie has drawn controversy as editor-in-chief of far-right Revolver News for promoting the claim the 2020 election was stolen and other conspiracy theories. He has also downplayed the Chinese Communist Party's repression of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region, a stance that directly contradicts that of his new boss, Rubio.

What to Know

"The Chinese aren't genocidal. They just object to Uyghur supremacy and Uyghurness. If Uyghurs simply reject Uyghur supremacy, they'll have no problem functioning in Chinese society," Beattie wrote on X on March 1, 2021.

On October 3, 2024, Beattie wrote: "America treats rural whites far worse than China treats Uyghurs. Republican politicians are far more comfortable expressing support for the latter, however."

Beattie appears to have deleted his X posts predating November 7, which was two days after Trump won the presidential election.

Human rights groups have accused China of detaining over 1 million Uyghurs in mass internment camps and engaging in systematic forced labor, torture, rape, and forced sterilization as part of a broader campaign of assimilation. Beijing denies these claims, saying the camps were for reeducation purposes and citing a need to crack down on religious extremism.

Beattie's 2021 tweet came just weeks after the State Department, then headed by Mike Pompeo, labeled China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities a "genocide."

As a senator for Florida, Rubio was sanctioned by Beijing after coming out against China over the issue and sponsoring a bill, signed into law by Trump, that imposed asset freezes and visa bans on local officials over their role in the crackdown.

What People Are Saying?

Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank, told Newsweek:

"Personnel is policy. Based on Darren Beattie's past positions, his appointment at the State Department's public affairs bureau essentially gives the Chinese Communist Party a bullhorn in the middle of Foggy Bottom.

"It's a dream come true for Beijing: their ideal scenario is co-opting American voices to advance CCP propaganda. That it could come from the State Department is both shocking and repulsive. America needs to win this New Cold War with the CCP, not lay down and surrender."

Reinhard Butikofer, a German politician and former European Parliament member, wrote on X:

"What weight is Secretary Rubio going to have in U.S. foreign policymaking, if he can be forced to accept an appointment like the one of Darren J. Beattie?"

Josh Rogin, a foreign policy columnist for The Washington Post, wrote on X:

"Senator Marco Rubio stood against the Uyghur genocide. His new acting public diplomacy chief is a Uyghur genocide denier. Does Secretary Rubio run his own State Department? It sure doesn't seem like it so far."

What's Next

How Beattie's views will influence U.S. foreign policy—and his working relationship with Rubio—remains uncertain.

It's also unclear whether Beattie has been formally nominated for the appointment on a permanent basis, which would require Senate confirmation. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

Update 2/4/25, 2:23 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and a new image.