The Senate voted Monday to confirm Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as the 72nd U.S. secretary of state.
The vote passed with unanimous support, netting 99 yes votes and zero no votes, according to the unofficial tally. Rubio will serve as President Donald Trump’s chief foreign policy advisor and main representative for the U.S. abroad.
“While America far too often continued to prioritize the ‘global order’ above our core national interests, other nations continued to act the way countries always have and always will, in what they perceive to be in their best interest,” Rubio said in his confirmation hearing Jan. 15. “And instead of folding into the post-Cold War global order, they have manipulated it to serve their interest at the expense of ours.”
Rubio first rubbed shoulders with Trump when they ran against each other in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, where Trump played a key role in knocking him out of the running, accusing him of taking favors from lobbyists and coining the pejorative moniker, “little Marco.” Rubio fired back at Trump as many others did during the primary, calling him disingenuous and a “con artist.”
The senator developed a reputation in Republican politics for being a foreign policy hawk, advocating for a globally involved U.S. that protects “freedom fighters” and democracies, according to a speech he gave in 2011. As he grew closer to Trump during the 2024 election cycle, Rubio’s views evolved to become more attuned to Trump’s ‘America First’ foreign policy agenda.
Rubio voted against a foreign aid package in 2024 that included Ukraine funding while retaining his hawkish stance on China and Latin America. He has been particularly outspoken about communist Cuba, saying at his hearing that he would reverse Biden’s removal of the nation from the state sponsors of terrorism list.
Additionally, Rubio underscored during his confirmation hearing the need for a strong approach to combat China’s economy and military. He also reaffirmed his support for the NATO alliance, which has come under fire from Trump due to the U.S. paying substantially more for the alliance than other member states.
Rubio has been outspoken on curbing Iran’s nuclear program, saying that, while he is open to a deal, any concessions the U.S. makes to the regime would likely cause Iran “to build their weapons systems and to try to restart their sponsorship of Hezbollah and other related entities.”
He also supported a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, saying both sides must make concessions for the nearly three-year-old conflict to end.
“Prudence in the conduct of foreign policy is not an abandonment of our values,” Rubio said during the hearing. “It’s the commonsense understanding that while we remain the wealthiest and the most powerful nation on the Earth, our wealth has never been unlimited … Placing our core national interest above all else is not isolation.”
The Trump transition team did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore
