Marco Rubio joins Trump's team as secretary of state

Marco Rubio has moved from local politics to positions of national and global leadership.

He has embraced Tea Party conservatism, and has focused on Latin American policy.

His foreign policy experience, shaped through criticism of regimes in Venezuela and Cuba, positioned him as a top contender for secretary of state despite previous tensions with President Trump.

Here's a collection of stories on Rubio's transition from U.S. senator in Florida to his new role in the Trump administration.

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

Florida U.S. Senator Marcos Rubio speaks during a former President Donald Trump’s rally at the Trump National Doral Miami, in Doral on Tuesday, July 09, 2024. By Pedro Portal

NO. 1: MARCO RUBIO IS AT THE CENTER OF A QUIET RACE FOR SECRETARY OF STATE

Florida’s senior senator is seen as a top contender to lead the State Department under the incoming Trump administration, though the position remains highly competitive. | Published November 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Max Greenwood Michael Wilner

Sen. Marco Rubio said new regulations restricting U.S. business and travel to Cuba don’t go as far as President Donald Trump intended. By AL DIAZ

NO. 2: TRUMP PLANNING TO CHOOSE RUBIO TO LEAD STATE DEPARTMENT IN HISTORIC FIRST

Rubio would be the first Hispanic secretary of state in U.S. history | Published November 12, 2024 | Read Full Story by Max Greenwood Michael Wilner

Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio waves to supporters before speaking at a Trump rally at the Trump National Doral Miami. By Pedro Portal

NO. 3: MIXED RECORD ON HAITI RAISES DOUBTS ABOUT WHAT RUBIO WOULD TAKE ON AS SECRETARY OF STATE

Haiti was in the throes of political chaos. | Published November 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jacqueline Charles

Senator Marco Rubio addresses the media following the Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses Ceremony Monday, Feb. 9, 2015 at the Freedom Tower. By Emily Michot

NO. 4: FROM TEA PARTY DARLING TO SECRETARY OF STATE? RUBIO’S CLIMB HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO THE TOP

From West Miami to Tallahassee to D.C., Rubio is validating those who said he was on his way to the top | Published November 12, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kirby Wilson

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio waves to the crowd as he walks on stage to give his remarks at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition on Sunday, November 6, 2022. Former President Donald Trump and a collection of other national and local Republicans campaigned with Rubio on the eve of the Nov. 8 election. By Carl Juste

NO. 5: DONALD TRUMP FORMALLY NOMINATES MARCO RUBIO TO BE HIS SECRETARY OF STATE

If confirmed, Rubio, a Miami native who has taken a hard line on Cuba, would be the first Latino to serve as the nation’s top diplomat. | Published November 13, 2024 | Read Full Story by Max Greenwood

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who defeated U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla. in the Florida Senate race, speaks to a crowd of supporters during an election party at the Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Miami, Fla. By MATIAS J. OCNER

NO. 6: MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF THE AMERICAS? HEARING POSES TEST AS TRUMP PACKS DIPLOMATIC TEAM

Rubio is expected to face questions about the incoming administration’s approach to an historic wave of migration throughout the hemisphere that has dominated U.S. relations with other countries. | Published January 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michael Wilner Jacqueline Charles Nora Gámez Torres Antonio Maria Delgado

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) questions security officials at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on foreign threats to the 2024 elections in Washington on May 15, 2024. By Jack Gruber

NO. 7: RUBIO SAYS TRUMP WON’T INTERVENE IN HAITI BUT WILL SUPPORT CURRENT MISSION: ‘NO EASY ANSWER’

Rubio’s remarks are the first high-level signal of Trump’s burgeoning policy toward one of the most pressing and intractable crises in the Western Hemisphere. | Published January 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michael Wilner Jacqueline Charles

Marco Rubio delivers remarks during a Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing on his nomination to be Secretary of State on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. By Jack Gruber

NO. 8: RUBIO SAYS CUBA BELONGS ON LIST OF SPONSORS OF TERRORISM A DAY AFTER BIDEN REMOVED IT

“There is zero doubt in my mind that they meet all the qualifications for being a state sponsor of terrorism,” he said. | Published January 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nora Gámez Torres

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks as Gov. Ron DeSantis listens during a press conference proposing anti-crime legislation at the Police Benevolent Association in Miami on Thursday, January 26, 2023. By Al Diaz

NO. 9: WITH MARCO RUBIO LEAVING THE U.S. SENATE, FLORIDA’S GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES HIS REPLACEMENT

DeSantis’ pick has big implications for the 2026 election | Published January 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Lawrence Mower

NO. 10: MARCO RUBIO IS CONFIRMED IN BIPARTISAN SENATE VOTE FOR SECRETARY OF STATE

The vote was nearly unanimous, with 99 senators supporting his confirmation. | Published January 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michael Wilner

VENEZUELA, CARACAS - FEBRUARY 20, 2024: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro attends a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Miraflores Palace.

NO. 11: TRUMP’S SPECIAL ENVOY MET MADURO AHEAD OF RUBIO’S FIRST TRIP TO LATIN AMERICA

President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, met with Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro on Friday, just before Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a fierce opponent of negotiations with the Venezuelan leader in the past, begins his first foreign trip intended to highlight a U.S. | Published January 31, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nora Gámez Torres

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.