Trump reportedly expects to name Florida Sen. Rubio as top diplomat | Politics News

US Senator Marco Rubio is known for his aggressive views on China and his strong support for Israel.

Several media outlets reported that US President-elect Donald Trump will appoint Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State.

Trump appeared to have chosen Rubio on Monday, although he could still change his mind, media outlets including The New York Times, CNN, CBS News and Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the decision.

Rubio, known for his aggressive foreign policy views, would be the first Hispanic American to serve as Washington’s top diplomat if appointed to the position.

Other names mentioned in media reports as candidates for the role include Richard Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term, and Robert O’Brien, Trump’s former national security adviser.

Rubio, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Foreign Relations Committee, is the latest nominee to work under Trump as the makeup of his new administration quickly takes shape.

Trump on Monday named Tom Homan, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, as his “border czar” and Elise Stefanik, a House Republican from New York, as ambassador to the United Nations.

Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 2010, Rubio has earned a reputation for taking a tough stance against U.S. adversaries such as China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.

He has also strongly supported Israel’s war in Gaza, telling a peace activist last year that Hamas was “100 percent” responsible for the deaths of Palestinians in the enclave.

“I want them to destroy every element of Hamas that they can get their hands on,” Rubio said in a confrontation with Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, in December.

“These people are vicious animals who have committed terrible crimes and I hope you post this because that is my position.”

During his unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2016, Rubio clashed with Trump, mocking his then-rival over the size of his hands and saying he would “make America orange again instead of great.”

Rubio later supported Trump as the Republican candidate in 2016 and served as a close foreign policy adviser to the former president during his unsuccessful candidacy in 2020.

During Trump’s recent run for the White House, Rubio was considered a possible vice presidential candidate and appeared with him at various campaign events.