President-elect Donald Trump is anticipated to appoint Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to function secretary of state, in accordance with a supply accustomed to the choice. If confirmed, Rubio would grow to be the primary Latino to ever function the nation’s high diplomat.

The choice formally brings Rubio into Trump’s fold and presents a brand new chapter within the evolving relationship between the previous rivals for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Within the years since, Rubio has grow to be an in depth adviser to Trump on overseas relations, and was even a high contender for vp up till the day Trump introduced Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his working mate.

The nomination is a sign that on the subject of worldwide diplomacy, the incoming Trump administration will probably be formed by Rubio’s conventional hawkishness — an method that has made him one of many Senate’s main voices on overseas coverage. However the two have disagreed prior to now over the extent to which the U.S. ought to train aggressive overseas coverage measures.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, was first elected senator for Florida in 2010 after serving within the state home — together with as speaker — for greater than a decade. Throughout his time within the Senate, Rubio grew to become a key voice in debates over U.S. overseas coverage. As a member of the Senate International Relations Committee, Rubio advocated for Libyan intervention in 2011, and criticized then-President Trump in 2019 for proposing to withdraw from Syria and Afghanistan.

Upon Trump’s win, Rubio mentioned final Wednesday that the U.S. will see “pragmatic overseas coverage” with Trump within the White Home.

“We’re coming into into an period of pragmatic overseas coverage wherein the world is quickly altering,” Rubio mentioned in an interview with CNN. “Adversaries are uniting — North Korea, Iran, China, Russia [are] more and more coordinating — it’ll require us to be very pragmatic and clever and the way we make investments abroad and what we do.

Rubio’s anticipated nomination comes because the Trump administration must cope with ongoing wars between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Hamas, along with ongoing tensions with China and Iran.

Regardless of holding extra historically interventionist views on overseas coverage extra broadly, Rubio was amongst a block of senators who voted in opposition to army assist for Ukraine, which in the end handed in April.

“What we’re funding here’s a stalemate that must be dropped at a conclusion,” Rubio mentioned in opposition to army funding and in advocating for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump and Rubio’s relationship has not all the time been harmonious. The 2 poked jabs at one another whereas campaigning in opposition to one another in 2016. Trump appreciated to name Rubio “Little Marco,” and issues obtained topsy-turvy when Rubio made insinuations about Trump, saying, “Have you ever seen his fingers? … And you recognize what they are saying about males with small fingers?” To which Trump responded, “I assure you there is no downside.”

Rubio mentioned that voters mustn’t again Trump in 2016, saying, “Associates don’t let associates vote for a con artist.” However he in the end supported Trump that yr, and since then, Rubio’s assist has solely grown stronger as he endorsed the president-elect each in 2020 and 2024. Rubio even helped Trump put together for his debate in opposition to President Biden in 2020.