Trump selects Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday officially shared his intention to nominate Republican Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state.

Rubio, 53, has served in the Senate since 2011. The Florida Senator is currently the vice-chair of the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Intelligence and also sits on the chamber's Committee on Foreign Relations.

"Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom. 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 on Wednesday.

Several long-serving State Department officials told ABC News they respect Rubio's extensive foreign policy experience and view him as unlikely to overly politicize the secretary of state role.

Rubio was also said to be favored for the role by Trump's chief of staff and veteran Florida political operative Susie Wiles, potentially helping the lawmaker edge out loyalists from the first Trump administration like former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell and former National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien.

In an interview following Trump's election victory, Rubio told CNN that the U.S. was entering "an era of pragmatic foreign policy."

"The world is rapidly changing. You know, adversaries are uniting -- in North Korea, Iran, China, Russia -- increasing coordinating," Rubio said. "It is going to require us to be very pragmatic and wise in how we invest overseas and what we do."

Rubio has consistently held many hawkish and traditionally Republican positions on international concerns, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but has bent to align with Trump’s agenda -- including his skeptical view of sustained support for Kyiv’s war effort.

While Rubio was initially a leading advocate for Ukraine, he voted against a supplemental funding bill passed in April that allocated about $61 billion dollars for the country, explaining at the time that he rejected the legislation because he did not believe it adequately addressed immigration concerns.

“I’m not on Russia’s side -- but unfortunately the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement,” Rubio said during an interview in late September.

“And I want, and we want, and, I believe Donald Trump wants, for Ukraine to have more leverage in that negotiation,” he added.

Because of Rubio's stature in the Senate and long tenure in Washington, his Senate confirmation process is broadly expected to run smoothly.

Rubio's appointment is not anticipated to create problems for Republicans in the Senate. Florida law authorizes the state's governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, to fill the empty seat by appointment until the next scheduled general election, when Floridians would vote for candidates to serve out the remainder of Rubio's term.

Republicans see Trump's double-digit win over Vice President Kamala Harris in Florida, the highest margin of victory for a presidential candidate in the state for 36 years, as a sign that the former battleground is now a firmly cemented as a GOP stronghold.

Rubio has also dramatically shifted toward the president-elect in recent years, transforming from a rival Trump once dubbed "Lil Marco" to a contender for a top Cabinet post in his second administration

During the 2016 presidential election, Rubio ran against Trump for the Republican nomination -- slamming him as a "con artist" on the campaign trail before dropping out after losing to Trump in the Florida primary.

Rubio eventually endorsed Trump's bid for the White House and was widely supportive of his policies during his first term, during which Rubio served as an unofficial adviser on strategy for Latin America and was described by the New York Times as a "virtual secretary of state" for the administration.

In 2024, Rubio again endorsed Trump for president and was on the shortlist of potential running mates before Trump ultimately selected Ohio Senator JD Vance.