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 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 Republican will become the first Latino to serve in the role when Trump takes office in January.
Rubio, 53, was elected to the US Senate in 2010 and was reportedly considered as a 2024 running mate by Trump is viewed as a hawk on China and Iran.
The newspaper said that Trump “could still change his mind at the last minute” but looked likely to choose his former Republican primary rival, whom he nicknamed “Little Marco” during the 2016 race.
Trump has already chosen Florida Representative Michael Waltz as his national security adviser and Representative Elise Stefanik as his ambassador to the United Nations.
Rubio’s fellow US Senator from Florida, Rick Scott, took to X 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.
