Trump expected to pick Florida Senator Rubio as top diplomat, reports say

US Senator Marco Rubio is known for his hawkish views on China and staunch support of Israel.

United States President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, multiple media outlets have reported.

Trump on Monday appeared to have settled on Rubio, though he could still change his mind, outlets including The New York Times, CNN, CBS News and Reuters reported, quoting unnamed sources familiar with the decision.

Rubio, who is known for his hawkish foreign policy views, would be the first Hispanic American to serve as Washington’s top diplomat if appointed to the role.

Other names who have been tipped as candidates for the role in media reports include Richard Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term, and Robert O’Brien, Trump’s former national security adviser.

Rubio, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee, is the latest figure tipped to work under Trump as the makeup of his incoming administration rapidly takes shape.

Trump on Monday named Tom Homan, a former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as his “border czar”, and Elise Stefanik, a House Republican from New York, as ambassador to the United Nations.

Since his election to the US Senate in 2010, Rubio has staked out a reputation for holding hardline views on US adversaries such as China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.

He has also staunchly backed Israel’s war in Gaza, telling a peace activist last year that Hamas was “100 percent to blame” for the deaths of Palestinians in the enclave.

“I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on,” Rubio said in a confrontation with Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin in December.

“These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes and I hope you guys post that because that’s my position.”

During his unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2016, Rubio clashed with Trump, mocking his then-rival over the size of his hands and saying he would “make America orange” instead of great again.

Rubio later backed Trump as the Republican nominee in 2016 and acted as a close adviser on foreign policy to the former president during his unsuccessful 2020 run.

During Trump’s latest bid for the White House, Rubio was floated as a possible vice-presidential pick and appeared with him at various events on the campaign trail.