The Senate connected Monday unanimously confirmed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) arsenic America's 72nd caput of State, putting successful spot the archetypal subordinate of President Trump's furniture connected the time of his inauguration.

Rubio’s confirmation ballot passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, 99-0. Rubio besides was capable to formed a ballot for himself. 

“No 1 connected this assemblage tin uncertainty that Marco Rubio is an intelligent antheral with singular knowing of American overseas argumentation and a precise heavy committedness to the American Dream,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said successful remarks connected the Senate floor. 

Rubio’s Senate spot volition beryllium filled by Florida authorities Attorney General Ashley Moody. 

As the lad of Cuban immigrants, Rubio is the archetypal Latino American to service arsenic apical diplomat.

A 14-year seasoned of the Senate, subordinate of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Select Committee connected Intelligence, Rubio’s information arsenic caput of State brought alleviation to lawmakers connected some sides of the aisle and America’s allies overseas acrophobic implicit Trump’s unpredictable and chaotic attack to overseas affairs. 

Alongside Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virg.), Rubio co-sponsored authorities that would forestall immoderate president from withdrawing from NATO, a determination viewed arsenic safeguarding America’s presumption successful the confederation successful the look of Trump’s threats to retreat the U.S. 

Trump successful caller weeks has telegraphed imperialist goals, expressing his tendency to presume ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, arsenic good arsenic speech of making Canada the 51st authorities and taking implicit the Panama Canal from Panama. 

“The United States volition erstwhile again see itself a increasing nation, 1 that increases our wealth, expands our territory,” Trump said during his inauguration address. 

Trump singled retired retaking power of the Panama Canal successful his code arsenic an imperative to antagonistic China’s power successful the strategical waterway. Panama’s president has rejected that the canal is nether overseas influence.

Rubio, during his confirmation hearing, said that the beingness of Chinese companies connected either broadside of the canal has raised interest from lawmakers connected some sides of the aisle, and poses a nationalist information hazard to the U.S. – successful 1 illustration of however helium is readying to thread the needle of explaining immoderate of Trump’s threats. 

“In world a overseas powerfulness contiguous possesses, done their companies – which we cognize are not autarkic – the quality to crook the canal into a choke constituent successful a infinitesimal of struggle and that is simply a nonstop menace to the nationalist involvement and information of the United States,” helium said. 

Rubio, viewed arsenic a China hawk, is sending aboriginal signals of his absorption connected countering Beijing’s planetary power ambitions, scheduling bilateral and radical meetings successful Washington with American allies connected the frontlines of Chinese aggression the time aft the inauguration. 

This includes a bilateral gathering with Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and a associated gathering with the overseas ministers of Japan, Australia and India, the alleged Quad. 

The overseas ministers were contiguous astatine Trump’s inauguration astatine the Capitol connected Monday. 

The group's gathering demonstrates “an iron-clad commitment” to adjacent practice successful the Indo-Pacific, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters successful Washington connected Sunday, Reuters reported. 

Wong posted a photograph from Trump’s inauguration ceremonial astatine Capitol Hill alongside Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar. Also successful the photograph was Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg.

The meetings are expected to instrumentality spot Tuesday, a motion to the assurance that Rubio’s confirmation ballot would determination done quickly. 

Rubio has called for making the State Department “highly applicable again,” but it’s unclear however overmuch power the State Department volition person successful a Trump medication wherever the president has appointed a slew of peculiar envoys to instrumentality connected circumstantial overseas argumentation challenges.

Trump’s spick for Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, already has a triumph nether his loop by moving hand-in-hand with the Biden medication to unafraid a ceasefire and hostage merchandise woody betwixt Israel and Hamas. Trump has besides appointed a Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, portion of his propulsion to extremity the astir three-year war.  

And Trump has anointed Richard Grenell, his erstwhile ambassador to Germany, whose sanction was floated arsenic a imaginable caput of State, for the undefined relation of Presidential Envoy for Special Missions. 

Rubio steps into a relation filled by 2 radical during Trump's archetypal term: Rex Tillerson, a erstwhile lipid enforcement who was fired by Trump aft 423 days successful the role, and past Mike Pompeo, a erstwhile House subordinate and CIA manager nether Trump.

Rubio was a fierce Trump professional during the contention for the 2016 Republican statesmanlike nomination. But helium has evolved to a staunch loyalist, a displacement cemented erstwhile Trump chose him for caput of State 1 week aft helium won the election. He is wide seen arsenic a imaginable statesmanlike contender again successful 2028.