Trump set to choose Marco Rubio as US secretary of state after picking Elise Stefanik as UN envoy

President-elect rewards his supporters and defenders with top jobs

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US president-elect Donald Trump is reportedly set to name Senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as America's top diplomat from January.

Mr Rubio, who was in the running to be vice president, has deep foreign policy experience, sitting on both the Senate intelligence committee and the foreign relations committee. He is staunchly pro-Israel and known for his hawkish views on China, Iran and Cuba.

Latino voters switching from the Democrats played a critical role in Mr Trump's victory in the presidential election. Several US media outlets including The New York Times reported on Monday that Mr Trump was planning on selecting Mr Rubio.

Mr Trump has begun naming top officials for his new administration, rewarding loyalists who stuck with him during his campaign and reviving some names from his first administration.

His pick for the US ambassador to the UN, Elise Stefanik, underlines how the second Trump administration will bring a tough, pro-Israel line to the world body.

“The work ahead is immense as we see anti-Semitism skyrocketing, coupled with four years of catastrophically weak US leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adversaries,” Ms Stefanik said.

“I stand ready to advance President Donald J Trump's restoration of America First peace through strength leadership on the world stage on Day One at the United Nations.”

Mr Trump said his nominee, whose approval by the Senate is virtually assured now Republicans have regained control of the upper chamber, is an “incredibly strong, tough and smart America First fighter”.

Ms Stefanik, 40, a Republican congresswoman and fierce ally of Mr Trump, would replace President Joe Biden's UN ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who drew criticism for vetoes of humanitarian resolutions for Gaza.

The UN is bracing for Mr Trump's return and likely cuts to US funding and engagement with the world body.

US media on Monday reported that Mr Trump is expected to name Marco Rubio as secretary of state, granting a top job in his second administration to a previous rival who went on to become a fierce supporter.

Mr Rubio, who would replace Antony Blinken, campaigned extensively for Mr Trump and was on the shortlist to serve as his running mate.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik speaks at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27. Reuters

Mr Trump also appears poised to make another critical US foreign policy staffing announcement, with his reported pick for national security adviser. According to several US outlets, Mike Waltz, a congressman from Florida is due to be tapped for the role.

Mr Waltz would succeed Jake Sullivan and would immediately confront a slew of national security crises including the war in the Middle East, America's support to Ukraine as it fights Russia's invasion and countering Beijing. Mr Waltz is considered a China hawk, in part because of its treatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population.

Among the names resurrected from his first administration is Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, who will be the deputy chief of policy in the new administration.

Mr Miller has played a key role in some of Mr Trump's policy decisions, including his move to separate thousands of immigrant families.

Mr Trump argued throughout the campaign that America's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the US illegally.

On Monday, he also announced Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr Zeldin, 44, does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a long-time supporter of Mr Trump.

“We will restore US energy dominance, revitalise our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI,” Mr Zeldin wrote on X.

Tom Homan, 62, meanwhile been named as “border tsar”, whose first order of business will be overseeing the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history.

Mr Homan served under Mr Trump in his first administration leading US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He also served under former president Barack Obama, heading Ice's deportation branch.

Emphasising that only Trump loyalists need apply for positions in his new administration, the president-elect at the weekend said neither his former UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, nor his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, would be invited back.

Mr Pompeo flirted with the idea of a presidential run and Ms Haley criticised Mr Trump when she ran against him this year.

Mr Trump last week appointed Susie Wiles, one of his two campaign managers, to be his White House chief of staff.

Trump nominations

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• Elon Musk to run a government efficiency department called Doge
• Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth to run the Department of Defence
• Trump set to choose Marco Rubio as US secretary of state
• Mike Huckabee as next US ambassador to Israel
• Profile: Elise Stefanik, Trump’s new ambassador to the UN
• Profile: Kristi Noem, Trump’s choice for head of Homeland Security
• Who could serve in Donald Trump’s cabinet? The top contenders for each position