Trump leaning toward Marco Rubio as secretary of state pick: Report

WASHINGTON (TNND) — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state, a new report says.

The New York Times reports that while Trump "could change his mind at the last minute," he appears to have keyed in on Rubio as he works to fill out his foreign policy and national security team. It is not yet clear if Trump has officially offered Rubio the role.

Rubio was a name previously mentioned when Trump was on the hunt for his vice presidential candidate. Despite the decision to go with JD Vance, Rubio campaigned for Trump in his White House bid, mentioning he would be interested in joining Trump's cabinet if the role was a fit.

Elected to the Senate in 2010, Rubio is known for being a "foreign policy hawk" when it comes to China and Iran, the Times reports.

He previously served as an informal foreign policy adviser to Trump, even helping him prepare for his 2020 debate with President Joe Biden. Trump and Rubio were previously considered rivals in the 2016 Florida primaries. During the campaign, Trump called Rubio "Little Rubio" and Rubio attacked back commenting on Trump's manhood during a debate.

In the Senate, Rubio sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.

The news of Trump quickly working to round out his cabinet comes as no surprise, as the president-elect has many goals for his first days in office.

Trump has asked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to serve as his national security advisor, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.

He added Tom Homan to his cabinet as the border czar on Monday. Homan was Trump's former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director.

The president-elect tapped Lee Zeldin as the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin is a former New York congressman.

He also selected longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, to be the deputy chief of policy. New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik also accepted Trump's offer to be the country's next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump's first pick was Susie Wiles, the manager of his campaign. Wiles will serve as his White House chief of staff.