Trump expected to choose Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, says report

Donald Trump is expected to select US Senator Marco Rubio as the Secretary of State in his second administration, according to a report.

The president-elect has chosen the Republican Florida lawmaker, who was a regular on the 2024 campaign trail with Trump, to become the country’s top diplomat, sources told The New York Times on Monday evening.

The Cuban-American will become the first Latino to serve in the role when Trump takes office in January. He’ll face a geopolitical landscape where multiple U.S. allies are at war abroad, including Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion, and Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. He’ll also be expected to deliver on key campaign promises that are closer to home, like dramatically cutting illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Rubio, 53, was elected to the US Senate in 2010 and was reportedly considered as a 2024 running mate by Trump. He is viewed as a hawk on both China and Iran, and a staunch supporter of Israel.

The newspaper said that Trump “could still change his mind at the last minute” but looked likely to choose his former Republican primary rival.

Rubio said last year he wouldn’t call for a ceasefire in Gaza and hopes Israel can “destroy every element of Hamas,” whom he labelled as “vicious animals” responsible for the thousands of civilian deaths on both sides in the conflict.

Amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel, Rubio called last month for “the reimposition of a maximum pressure campaign against Iran” and said he supports Israel in responding “disproportionately” to Iranian attacks.

He has also pushed for legislation banning TikTok alongside other social networks deemed to be connected to China, and is a sharp critic of the Maduro regime in Venezuela.

Rubio’s fellow US Senator from Florida, Rick Scott, took to X on Monday to congratulate him on his new role.

“I’m thrilled for my friend, Florida colleague, and our next Secretary of State @marcorubio! He will restore American leadership around the world, especially in Latin America, as he represents the United States with dignity and courage! It’s been an honor to serve the people of Florida alongside him and look forward to continuing our work together,” he wrote on Elon Musk’s social media platform.

Rubio currently serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Rubio has called for Ukraine to reach a negotiated peace deal with Russia and not try and regain the land that Moscow has taken from it in recent years. He voted against a $95bn military aid package for Ukraine in April.

“I’m not on Russia’s side, but unfortunately the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement,” Rubio told NBC in September.

The reported pick caps a dramatic evolution in Rubio and Trump’s relationship, which has seen the two go from extreme adversaries to allies on the world stage.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump mocked Rubio as “Little Marco” who he wouldn’t let run one of his corporate enterprises, while the senator often referred to Trump as a “con man” who couldn’t be trusted in the White House.

Rubio’s vision of foreign policy also seems somewhat at odds with the Trump 2024 campaign, where Trump and Vice President-Elect JD Vance derided their opponents as war hawks and sold themselves as the candidates of peace and ending foreign military engagements. Rubio himself also once co-sponsored legislation that would make it harder for the U.S. to pull out of NATO, despite Trump’s frequent criticisms of the transatlantic alliance.

Trump has already chosen Florida Representative Michael Waltz as his national security adviser and Representative Elise Stefanik as his ambassador to the United Nations.