US Senate confirms Marco Rubio as Secretary of State

The US Senate has voted to confirm Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, making him the first official in Donald Trump's administration to be approved on his presidential inauguration day.

The vote on Monday, which came just hours after Trump's swearing-in ceremony, was unanimous at 99-0.

"Given the uncertainty around the globe right now, it is in America's interest not to skip a beat and to fill this role immediately," said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"While we may not always agree, I believe he has the skills, knowledge and qualifications to be secretary of state," she said on the Senate floor.

Rubio, who is the first Hispanic and first fluent Spanish speaker to assume the position of top US diplomat, is Trump's first cabinet nominee to be confirmed by the Republican-led Senate only hours after the inauguration.

Rubio, 53, first elected to the Senate in 2010, is known for his hardline stance on Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and China.

Rubio's stances

Recently, however, he has aligned more closely with Trump's foreign policy, expressing support for his calls for an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, which he said has reached a "stalemate" and "needs to be brought to a conclusion."

Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel, has consistently adopted hardline positions. Earlier this year, he accused former president Joe Biden of appealing to "antisemites" in the Democratic Party by criticising Israel's actions in Gaza and urged the administration to revoke visas for foreign students involved in pro-Palestine protests, labelling them as "terrorist sympathisers."

Rubio also led efforts to ban TikTok, arguing that it spreads "pro-Hamas, anti-Israel propaganda" and poses an "existential threat to our nation."

During his confirmation hearing, he warned that the US must change course to avoid becoming more reliant on China and promised a robust foreign policy focused on American interests.

Trump began announcing his selections for cabinet positions almost as soon as he won his second term as president on November 5. His supporters had clamoured for the Senate to confirm all of his picks as quickly as possible, but some faced tough questioning about their experience and qualifications, even from members of his own Republican party.