Trump taps Marco Rubio for secretary of state as new team takes shape

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump confirmed that he intends to nominate US Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to be his secretary of State, naming a onetime rival to a high-ranking cabinet post.

“He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said in a statement Wednesday. “I look forward to working with Marco to Make America, and the World, Safe and Great Again!”

Rubio clashed with Trump in 2016 election cycle when they both sought the Republican presidential nomination before becoming one of the incoming president’s staunchest supporters in the Senate.

He has taken an aggressive stance on China’s emergence as an economic power — and is poised to be the first U.S. secretary of State to have been sanctioned by Beijing. Rubio also has supported Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Rubio has defended Trump’s position to bring a swift end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling for talks that could result in Kyiv giving up territory. But he is also a strong supporter of NATO, drawing a contrast with Trump who has often criticized the alliance’s members over their spending and questioned its utility.

The Florida senator has served on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.

Rubio’s formal selection adds to a Trump foreign policy team that is beginning to take shape, including his pick of a fellow Florida lawmaker, Congressman Mike Waltz, as his national security advisor.

Trump announced the Rubio pick as the president-elect returned to Washington on Wednesday for the first time since his decisive election victory last week. He addressed House Republicans earlier in the morning, largely behind closed doors, as the press was ushered out of the room. Later Wednesday, he met with President Joe Biden at the White House — a courtesy Trump did not extend to the incumbent after the 2020 election.

Here’s how Trump’s transition is moving ahead on Wednesday:

White House team

Trump announced more members of his senior White House staff, shoring up the team that will help him implement his agenda as he prepares to retake power in Washington.

Dan Scavino, who previously worked in the White House during Trump’s first term, will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff, Trump said in a statement on Wednesday. James Blair, who served as the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee political director, will take on the role of deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs. Taylor Budowich, who served as the CEO of the pro-Trump super political action committee, MAGA Inc., is being tapped as deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel.

Those appointments are joining Stephen Miller, who will be deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor. Miller will have a key role in enacting Trump’s immigration policies, which the president-elect has said will center on a mass deportation of illegal immigrants and completing the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The four all were active in Trump’s campaign, an operation which saw the Republican standard-bearer score an unexpectedly decisive electoral victory. The party is also poised to secure a Washington trifecta, having already won the White House and Senate control and inching closer to also retaining a majority in the US House.

“Dan, Stephen, James, and Taylor were ‘best in class’ advisors on my winning campaign, and I know they will honorably serve the American people in the White House,” Trump said in a statement Wednesday. “They will continue to work hard to Make America Great Again in their respective new roles.”

Trump’s team is quickly forming just over a week since Election Day. On Tuesday night, Trump unveiled a number of prominent picks, including the surprising selection of Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense; and billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, to work alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to head a new effort – the Department of Government Efficiency — tasked with restructuring the federal government.

Trump Ally defends Hegseth

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer on Wednesday offered support for Trump’s plans to nominate Hegseth to run the Pentagon, an unorthodox pick for a post that has usually been filled by military leaders, lawmakers or government officials with decades of experience.

“Pete literally has written the book on how to rebuild our military into the function that was supposed to be instead of this woke, politically correct nonsense that the Biden-Harris administration has been pushing over the last four years,” Emmer said on Fox News’ Fox and Friends. “More importantly, we’re proud of Pete Hegseth because he is a combat veteran — two tours of combat in fact.”

Hegseth is an Army National Guard officer. His unit served at the U.S. prison base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and he subsequently volunteered to serve in Iraq. He has also served in Afghanistan.

His confirmation hearing, however, is likely to draw attention to controversial stances he has taken on military matters, including his advocacy on behalf of American soldiers accused or convicted of war crimes, and comments about women in combat roles.

Transition outreach

Trump’s team has yet to sign some transition agreements with the Biden administration that would grant access to resources from the federal government to assist with the handover.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Wednesday said that would not stop members of the administration from potentially reaching out to the “incoming counterparts.”

“Of course, that depends on whether the incoming team wants to engage, and that will be up to them,” Sullivan said at the press briefing.

Trump has selected Mike Waltz, a Florida congressman who served multiple tours in Afghanistan, to serve as his national security advisor.

Sullivan said Waltz was someone he had engaged with in the past.

“I respect his service to this country in uniform. He’s put his life on the line,” Sullivan said. “He and I obviously don’t see eye-to-eye on every issue, but I am very much looking forward to engaging him over these next 60 days, as I said, so that we can have this smooth handoff.”

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