Marco Rubio attributes his position as the new U.S. Secretary of State to his parents' decision to immigrate from Cuba in 1956, which he says gave him "the privilege to be born a citizen of the greatest nation in the history of the world." His father worked as a banquet bartender and his mother as a hotel maid and stay-at-home mother.
Rubio was confirmed by the U.S. Senate with a historic 99-0 vote shortly after President Trump took office on January 20. As a Miami native, Rubio becomes the highest-ranking Hispanic American official in U.S. history, following in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson, the first U.S. Secretary of State.
During his confirmation hearing on January 15 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio expressed his commitment to prioritizing America's core national interests. "Under President Trump, the top priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States," he stated. He further emphasized that every policy must answer whether it makes America safer, stronger, or more prosperous.
Prior to this role, Rubio was serving his third term as a U.S. Senator representing Florida since 2011. He has been influential in U.S. foreign policy as a senior member of both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. His international engagements have included travel to numerous countries and meetings with foreign leaders to promote American interests.
Rubio has been involved in key bipartisan legislation concerning China and has taken steps against human rights abuses by sponsoring sanctions against Venezuelan human rights violators and members of Cuba's regime. Additionally, he led efforts for reauthorizing the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Before becoming a senator, Rubio served as city commissioner in West Miami and speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives. He holds degrees from both the University of Florida and University of Miami School of Law and is married with four children.