Who is Marco Rubio? Everything to know about the Florida Senator as Trump is set to pick him as the Secretary of State
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State. Citing "three people familiar with his [Trump's] thinking," the New York Times reported that Trump appears to have selected Rubio for the role. It is worth noting that the President-elect is currently selecting his foreign policy and national security team.
The New York Times' alleged sources also added that there is a chance that Trump might change his decision. He had reportedly considered the Florida Senator as his running mate before he chose JD Vance.
Marco Rubio is a Cuban-American politician who previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for eight years. He was elected to the Senate in 2010.
Marco Rubio competed against Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries
According to his website, Marco Rubio was born to Cuban immigrant parents in May 1971 in Miami, Florida. While his father worked as a bartender at a local banquet, his mother took care of the family while working as a member of the housekeeping staff at a hotel.
The Senator credited his interest in public service to his grandfather, who lived through a communist regime in Cuba. Rubio's first role as a public servant was that of a city commissioner in West Miami. He is currently serving on the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The senator is known for his strong foreign policy, especially in relation to China, Cuba, and Iran. Some of his policies include expanding tax credits for working families and reforming the Veteran's Health Administration system. While the Lugar Center ranked him as one of the most bipartisan senators, he was also ranked as the most effective Republican by the Center for Effective Lawmaking.
Marco Rubio competed against Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries. At the time, Trump mockingly called him "Little Marco," while Rubio made comments about Trump's manhood. Rubio dropped out of the presidential race after losing the primaries.
Rubio told CNN in May 2016 that he apologized to his opponent and that it was not who he was or what he stood for. During the 2024 US Elections, Rubio rallied behind Trump.
In a recent interview, Rubio suggested that Ukraine should focus on negotiating a settlement with Russia rather than trying to win back its lost territory. He shared clips of the same interview on his official X handle. He was one of fifteen Republican senators who voted against a $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine earlier this year.
Per his website, Marco Rubio met his wife Jeanette, a Miami native, through mutual friends. They married in 1998 and have four children, Amanda, Daniella, Anthony, and Dominick.
Neither Trump nor Rubio have publicly reacted to the reports. At the time of this writing, the president-elect has picked Susie Wiles as the White House chief of staff and appointed Tom Homan as the ‘border czar.’ He has named Elise Stefanik as the US ambassador to the United Nations and Lee Zeldin as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
If selected, Rubio would become the first Latino to serve as Secretary of State.