‘Little Marco’: Ex-Fox News Pundit Trump Hired as State Dept. Spox Has a History of Insulting Her Future Boss

The former Fox News contributor tapped by President-elect Donald Trump for a role in the State Department harshly criticized Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), whom Trump chose to lead the agency.

On Friday, Trump named Tammy Bruce as the next State Department spokesperson. “Tammy is a highly respected political analyst who understood the power and importance of ‘MAGA’ early on,” Trump wrote when announcing the appointment.

As it turns out, Bruce repeatedly blasted the Florida senator during the 2016 presidential primary. As Politico noted on Monday, Bruce criticized Rubio at least seven times in various tweets:

Bruce, echoing Trump’s past denigration of Rubio, in at least seven instances called him “Little Marco” in old posts on X during the 2016 presidential primary and also mocked him in other ways, including calling him a “kid waving frantically in the back of room trying to prove relevance.” She also accused him in 2015 of being a tool of the establishment, criticized how he had tried to make an immigration deal with Democrats in 2016, and said in 2014 that he was an “inexperienced senator who’s never run a thing in his life.” And while a State Department spokesperson is all about amplifying the Secretary of State’s voice and getting their message out, Bruce in early 2016 said she “had to mute Marco. ”

Politico reported that a spokesperson for Rubio declined to comment, while Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for one.

Rubio was one of Trump’s earliest nominees in a move that did not please all of the president-elect’s supporters.

Upon Trump’s selection of Bruce on Friday, Fox News issued a statement praising her service at the network.

“Tammy Bruce has been an extremely valued contributor at FOX News Media for nearly 20 years and we wish her all the best in her new role,” it read.”