Trump expected to choose Marco Rubio as next US Secretary of State

Rubio's nomination as top US diplomat would cap off his evolving relationship with Trump

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Marco Rubio as secretary of state, a person familiar with the matter said Monday night, granting a top job in his second administration to a one-time rival who later became one of his most ardent supporters in the Senate.

The New York Times reported the news earlier Monday.

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Rubio campaigned extensively for Trump and was on the short list to be serve as his running mate. Florida's senior senator helped the campaign reach out to Latino communities, and spoke at a rally Pennsylvania on the final day of the campaign to introduce Trump in Spanish.

Rubio has taken an aggressive stance on China's emergence as an economic power and has supported Israel's war in Gaza and its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, while also being a strong supporter of NATO. He served on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.

Rubio has defended Trump's position to bring a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine war, calling for talks that could result in Kyiv giving up territory occupied by Russian forces.

"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 on NBC's Meet the Press in September. "And I want, and we want, and, I believe Donald Trump wants, for Ukraine to have more leverage in that negotiation."

Like others among Trump's foreign-policy advisers, he's made clear China is the real threat. In a report released in September, he said the US must wake up to the seriousness of the challenge China presents.

"Communist China is the most powerful adversary the United States has faced in living memory," he wrote in the opening line of the report.

Rubio's nomination as top US diplomat would cap off his evolving relationship with Trump. The two faced off in the 2016 Republican primary for president, and Trump mocked Rubio on the debate stage by nicknaming him "Little Marco" and pointing out the size of his hands.

Rubio responded by calling Trump "the most vulgar" person to ever aspire to be president. Yet once Trump entered the White House, he worked hard to repair the relationship.

He has also known Trump's incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for years, both having been ensconced in Republican politics in Florida.

Rubio, who has served in the Senate since 2011, is expected to receive a quick and easy confirmation from the chamber. That would create a vacancy, allowing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to appoint someone to fill the empty seat.