Marco Rubio is confirmed in bipartisan Senate vote for secretary of state

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has been confirmed to serve as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state, becoming the first member of Trump’s cabinet to receive the approval of the U.S. Senate since Trump took office Monday afternoon.

The vote was nearly unanimous, with 99 senators supporting his confirmation.

READ MORE: Rubio says Trump won’t intervene in Haiti but will support current mission: ‘No easy answer’

Rubio told the Senate in his confirmation hearing that the administration would pursue an “America First” agenda that reconsidered U.S. foreign aid and diplomatic relations based on evolving U.S. interests. He vowed a muscular presence in the Western Hemisphere, including a forceful approach to the regime in Venezuela, a commitment to U.S. aid to Haiti and a fresh look at relations with Panama over its management of the Panama Canal.

This story was originally published January 20, 2025 at 7:16 PM.

Michael Wilner

McClatchy DC

202-383-6083

Michael Wilner is an award-winning journalist and was McClatchy’s chief Washington correspondent. Wilner joined the company in 2019 as a White House correspondent, and led coverage for its 30 newspapers of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the Biden administration. Wilner was previously Washington bureau chief for The Jerusalem Post. He holds degrees from Claremont McKenna College and Columbia University and is a native of New York City.