Trump is likely to pick Marco Rubio to serve as his secretary of state, sources say

CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump is likely to pick Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, two people familiar with his thinking told CNN as he rounds out his national security team for a second term.

It was not clear Monday night whether Trump had formally offered Rubio the role.

One of the sources said in the morning that Trump was believed to be leaning toward Ric Grenell, but during the day he switched his preference to Rubio after a series of calls and conversations with allies of the Florida senator. Grenell served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and later as acting director of national intelligence during his first administration

Until an offer is formally made, another source advised Trump could change his mind.

New York Times first reported on Trump’s expected offer.

Rubio, who was in the running to become vice president, had made it clear he was interested in potentially joining Trump’s cabinet if it was for the right role, multiple sources familiar with the process told CNN.

Given his deep foreign policy experience and serving on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, the State Department seemed like a good fit for Rubio. The senator also comes from Florida and has a close relationship with the incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles.

A Rubio spokesman declined to comment on the case.

The Florida senator, a China hawk and finalist for Trump’s vice presidency, was a constant on the campaign trail during Trump’s third presidential run.

After his failed GOP presidential bid in 2016, Rubio rebuilt his image as a populist in Washington. At the same time, he sharpened his foreign policy credentials as the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee while building relationships within his party, across the aisle and around the world.

He has used his perch as the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee to take on China, introducing legislation that would block tax credits for electric vehicle batteries made using Chinese technology and grilling the FBI director Beijing’s influence on TikTok.

In 2016, Rubio and Trump’s relationship appeared to be beyond repair when, in the final days of his campaign, Rubio publicly attacked Trump, saying he would not “make America great. He wants to make America orange,” mocking size with Trump’s hands, calling him a “fraudster” vying to take over the Republican Party.

But since then, Rubio and Trump’s relationship has not only thawed, it has strengthened.

CNN’s Jack Forrest, Lauren Fox and Steve Contorno contributed to this report.