Trump leans toward Marco Rubio for secretary of state: report

WASHINGTON (TNND) — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state, a new report says.

The New York Times reports that while Trump “could change his mind at the last minute,” he appears to have embraced Rubio as he works to fill out his foreign policy and national security team. It’s not yet clear whether Trump has formally offered Rubio the role.

Rubio was a name that was already mentioned when Trump was looking for his vice presidential running mate. Despite choosing JD Vance, Rubio championed Trump in his bid for the White House and mentioned that he would be interested in joining Trump’s Cabinet if the role suited him.

Rubio was elected to the Senate in 2010 and is considered a “foreign policy hawk” when it comes to China and Iran, the Times reports.

He previously served as an informal foreign policy adviser to Trump and even helped him prepare for his debate with President Joe Biden in 2020. Trump and Rubio were already considered rivals in the 2016 Florida primaries. During the campaign, Trump called Rubio “Little Rubio” and Rubio hit back by commenting on Trump’s masculinity during a debate.

In the Senate, Rubio sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.

The news that Trump is working quickly to complete his Cabinet comes as no surprise, as the president-elect has many goals for his first days in office.

Trump has asked Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida to serve as his national security adviser, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.

He added Tom Homan to his cabinet as border czar on Monday. Homan was Trump’s former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The president-elect appointed Lee Zeldin as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin is a former New York congressman.

He also chose longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, as deputy chief policy officer. New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik also accepted Trump’s offer to become the country’s next US ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump’s first choice was Susie Wiles, his campaign manager. Wiles will be his White House chief of staff.