Trump is considering national security adviser and Rubio for secretary of state

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Representative Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican, to serve as national security adviser, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

Waltz, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and longtime Trump supporter, was re-elected to Congress last week — though he will have to leave office to serve in the White House.

In this role, Waltz would serve as a key White House adviser on national security and foreign policy issues. It is a prominent role that does not require confirmation.

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is in negotiations to become Trump’s candidate for secretary of state, although the choice is not a done deal, two sources tell CBS.

The offices of Waltz and Rubio did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

Waltz, a decorated green beret and Army veteran, served multiple tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa.

He drew on his experiences serving in the Pentagon during the George W Bush administration and in combat in his book Warrior Diplomat: A Green Berets Battles from Washington to Afghanistan.

Waltz’s military experience led to key national security committee assignments when he was elected to Congress in 2018, serving on the Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, and Intelligence Committees.

The Florida congressman’s expressed views in Congress have been close to Republican policy views on national security and foreign policy since Trump’s election in 2016 — but they also recognize America’s key role in global affairs.

Waltz has suggested NATO allies increase their defense spending, though he has not gone as far as Trump and said the US should leave the alliance entirely.

“Look, we can be allies and friends and have tough conversations,” Waltz said last month.

He has said that the United States should maintain its support for Ukraine, but in recent weeks he has called for a reassessment of the American funds sent to help the country.

Waltz has also taken a hard line on China while in Congress, arguing — as chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness — that the U.S. needs to do more to prepare for conflict in the Pacific.

Since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Waltz has often criticized President Joe Biden and the White House for their decision to leave the country.

Waltz would be the second member of Congress tapped to serve in the next Trump administration, which would require him to resign from his House of Representatives office and potentially slim Republicans’ controlling majority.

He would be the fifth national security adviser to serve under Trump, who appointed four different men to serve in the position during his first term. He fired three of them.

Michael Flynn, a retired general and Trump loyalist, lasted just 24 days before being fired.

Trump then appointed and fired HR McMaster, another retired general, who would later criticize the president-elect and his allies in a memoir he published earlier this year.

John Bolton, who held the post for 17 months and was Trump’s longest-serving national security adviser before he was also fired, became highly critical of his former boss and has spoken out against the president-elect’s efforts to return to the White House.

Robert O’Brien, a lawyer who served in the Bush administration, finished Trump’s first term as national security adviser.

It is not yet certain that Rubio will be nominated to serve as secretary of state, but the Florida Republican’s career has set him up to become America’s next top diplomat.

Several US media have reported that Rubio is in talks with Trump’s transition team about the executive position, but it has not been finalized. It seems the president-elect could still change his mind.

However, Rubio has built his resume in the Senate.

He serves as deputy chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rubio is considered a foreign policy hawk, particularly on China and Iran. While supporting Ukraine, he previously said the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine must be “brought to a conclusion”.

Trump and Rubio now have a cordial relationship, but it hasn’t always been that way.

Both men ran for president in 2016, and the two developed a bitter rivalry. They clashed on a number of issues — notably immigration — and the conflict led to various insults: Trump referred to the senator as “Little Marco” and Rubio mocked Trump’s “little hands.”

The Florida senator, 53, continued to support his rival, and the two patched up their relationship during Trump’s first term.

Rubio was an early supporter of Trump in this election’s primaries.

Rubio, the son of working-class Cuban immigrants, was first elected to the Senate in 2010.

He has since become a stalwart in Republican politics and was once floated as a potential running mate for Republican nominee Mitt Romney in 2012 and for Trump in 2024.