Two developments over the last 10 days have sharply brought into the spotlight two key aspects of U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” policy at work — the United States’ approach towards the world and its enforcement of immigration laws to rid the country of illegal residents. On January 3, a U.S. military operation captured Venezuela’s President and brought him to New York. On January 7, a U.S. citizen, Renee Nicole Good, was shot dead during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minneapolis. The facts of, and reasons for, the incident remain contested. At the centre of these two events are two key figures in the Trump administration — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, spearheading U.S. foreign policy, and Vice-President J.D. Vance, whose focus is domestic, particularly immigration enforcement.
Both Mr. Rubio and Mr. Vance are avowed Christians who proclaim their politics to be an extension of their faith. Mr. Rubio and Mr. Vance — aged 54 and 41, respectively — are viewed as the possible heirs to the MAGA movement. Both were originally “Never Trumpers” — who staunchly opposed the President when he entered the political scene in 2015. Later, as colleagues in the Senate, both shifted to the MAGA camp as Trump loyalists. Each was considered a potential running mate for Mr. Trump in the 2024 elections. Mr. Vance made the cut, and is now widely seen as a potential successor of Mr. Trump.
