Donald Trump is expected to name Marco Rubio as his new administration’s Secretary of State, according to several reports.
Rubio would be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat. The senior U.S. senator from Florida has positioned himself as a foreign policy hawk and is know for his hardline views on China, Iran, and Cuba, and for his staunch support of Israel.
A member of the “Gang of Eight,” Rubio is the current vice chair and former chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Trump’s decision to tap Rubio for the influential post marks a full evolution of their relationship.
Rubio was previously harshly critical of the president-elect, and the two exchanged pointed jabs during the course of the Republican presidential primary in 2016.
“I will do whatever it takes, I will campaign as long as it takes, I will stay in this race as long as it takes. Donald Trump, a con artist, will never get control of this party,” Rubio shouted at a 2016 rally in Kennesaw, Georgia. “Friends don’t let friends vote for con artists. … It is time to open our eyes. We cannot allow a con artist to get access to the nuclear codes of the United States of America.”
Trump coined the derogatory nickname “Little Marco” during the 2016 campaign and things went downhill from there when Rubio made insinuations about the size of Trump’s hands, saying, “Have you seen his hands? … And you know what they say about men with small hands?”
“I guarantee you there’s no problem,” Trump replied.
“Multiple sources now saying that Trump in January will nominate Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State,” CNN’s Sara Sidner said on-air Tuesday morning. “Which means over the span of eight years, Rubio has gone from ‘Little Marco’ to Trump in 2016, to now staunch ally, and soon, his top diplomat.”
