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    • Trump’s Secretary of State pick is Marco Rubio. About the Florida Senator
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    Trump’s Secretary of State pick is Marco Rubio. About the Florida Senator

    Pabio Posted on

    Marco Rubio launched a presidential campaign in 2016, but consistently lost to Trump in the primaries and ultimately suspended his campaign after finishing second in Florida.

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    • Election day will take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, two days after the change to daylight saving time.
    • The Sunshine Protection Act would permanently extend daylight saving time from 8 months per year to a full 12 months.

    A week after the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump is wasting no time build your new office and new staff. He’s already giving his administration some familiar Florida names.

    His first appointment was as longtime campaign manager Susie Wiles for the new White House chief of staff, followed by US Representative Michael Waltz as his national security advisor.

    THE president-elect confirmed Wednesday that he will name Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Floridato become secretary of state in his next administration.

    However Rubio and Trump have history dating back to 2016 – when the former president gave the nickname “Little Marco” – the two politicians patched things up. Before choosing Senator JD Vance, Trump had considered Rubio as his vice presidential pick.

    Rubio, a Cuban-American with extensive foreign policy experience, would be the first Latin American to serve as U.S. secretary of state.

    There are other reasons people know Rubio: Over the years, he went viral with a water bottle and made a name for himself by breaking Daylight Saving Time.

    Here’s what we know about Marco Rubio.

    Did Trump choose Marco Rubio as Secretary of State?

    On Wednesday, November 13, a week after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, he confirmed Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, as his choice for US secretary of state.

    “It is my great honor to announce that Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is nominated to be Secretary of State of the United States,” Trump said in a prepared statement. “Marco is a highly respected leader and a powerful voice for freedom. He will be a staunch defender of our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down in the face of our adversaries. I look forward to working with Marco to make America and the world safe and great again!

    Rubio is currently the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee and serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A Cuban-American, Rubio would be the first Latin American to serve as secretary of state.

    “Leading the U.S. State Department is an enormous responsibility, and I am honored by the trust President Trump has placed in me,” Rubio said in a statement. “As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda. Under the leadership of President Trump, we will bring peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and the rest of the world first. America First. I look forward to winning the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate so that the President can have his national security and foreign policy team ready when he takes office on January 20.

    Who is Marco Rubio?

    Florida’s senior senator, Marco Antonio Rubio, 53, has been a member of the Senate since 2011 and served as a Florida state representative and served as Speaker of the House before that.

    Born in Miami to Cuban immigrants, Rubio lived in Nevada with his family for three years, but they returned to Florida where he attended South Miami Senior High School. He had a football scholarship to Tarkio College in Missouri, but left after a year for Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville. Rubio holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law.

    After finishing law school, Rubio was elected city commissioner in West Miami and became a member of the Florida House of Representatives two years later, campaigning as a moderate. He was re-elected four more times while practicing law at a Miami firm. He was named Republican leader in the House of Representatives in 2002 and became speaker in 2005.

    In 2010, Rubio defeated then-Florida Governor Charlie Crist for the Republican Senate nomination and won. In 2023, Rubio was ranked as The Most Effective Legislator in Florida’s Congress.

    Rubio launched a presidential campaign in 2016, but consistently lost to Trump in the primaries and ultimately suspended his campaign after finishing second in Florida.

    Rubio has gradually leaned more into MAGA territory over the years and was a finalist on Trump’s 2024 vice presidential shortlist, although Trump ultimately tapped JD Vance.

    According to a USA TODAY video, Rubio once pushed a bill that would have granted citizenship to undocumented immigrants.

    He wrote the book “100 Innovative Ideas for Florida’s Future” and taught politics at Florida International University.

    Rubio is married to Jeanette Dousdebes, a former bank teller and Miami Dolphins cheerleader, and they have four children. The family lives west of Miami.

    What does “Little Marco” mean? Did Marco Rubio insult Donald Trump?

    During the 2016 presidential primary, Rubio resisted personal attacks during the early part of his campaign, but later spoke out against them, calling Trump a “scammer” saying he was “completely unprepared to be president of the United States” and even slyly suggesting Trump was not well endowedamong others.

    In turn, Trump nicknamed him “Little Marco,” mocked him for being robotic, and called him a “clown” and a “lightweight.” However, like many other Republican leaders that Trump has derided, Rubio later endorsed Trump and has supported his initiatives ever since.

    He also denounced the prosecution of Trump for paying money to an adult film star, calling it “a sham political trial, like those that communists used against their political opponents in Cuba and the Soviet Union “. Seven of the most MAGA-aligned senators in sign a commitment not confirm any of President Joe Biden’s political or judicial appointments or help Democrats advance non-security federal funding increases or fast-track Democratic bills.

    Who will replace Marco Rubio as Florida senator?

    If Trump chooses Rubio, Governor Ron DeSantis will be able to choose his temporary replacement in the Senate.

    That person would hold that seat until 2026, when a special election would be held for the final two years of Rubio’s current term.

    Speculation about potential replacements includes DeSantis chief of staff James Uthmeier, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, State Attorney Ashley Moody, former Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva, DeSantis’ wife, Casey, or even DeSantis himself.

    Trump and his allies could pressure DeSantis to appoint a successor of their choice. The supporters have already floated the name of Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trumpresident of Florida and co-chairman of the Republican National Committee.

    What does the Secretary of State do?

    The U.S. Secretary of State is the principal adviser to the president on foreign affairs and implements the president’s foreign policy, according to the US Department of State. Duties and responsibilities include:

    • Leads negotiations relating to American foreign affairs
    • Grants and issues passports to United States citizens and exequaturs to foreign consuls in the United States
    • Advises the President on the appointment of ambassadors, ministers, consuls, and other diplomatic representatives of the United States
    • Advises the President regarding the acceptance, recall, and dismissal of representatives of foreign governments
    • Personally participates in or directs U.S. representatives to international conferences, organizations, and agencies
    • Negotiates, interprets and terminates treaties and agreements
    • Provides U.S. Government protection for U.S. citizens, property, and interests in foreign countries
    • Oversees the administration of U.S. immigration laws abroad
    • Provides information to U.S. citizens about political, economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian conditions in foreign countries
    • Informs Congress and American citizens on the conduct of American foreign relations
    • Promotes beneficial economic relations between the United States and other countries
    • Administers the Department of State
    • Oversees the United States Foreign Service

    Did Marco Rubio eliminate daylight saving time in Florida? What is the sun protection law?

    The sun protection law, which is a federal bill, has not obtained the approval of the United States House of Representatives or the President, but has been proposed in several sessions of Congress over the past several years and was approved by the U.S. Senate in 2023.

    THE Sun Protection Act would permanently extend daylight saving time from eight months of the year to a full 12 months. The bill was first introduced in March 2018 by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida and Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key. The two men reintroduced the bill, with other sponsors, in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

    THE bill would make daylight saving time permanent in the United States, but so far the measure has not yet been passed by the US House of Representatives, nor signed into law by President Biden.

    Despite their efforts to summer timeFlorida fell further this year and will progress in 2025.

    Marco Rubio and a bottle of water: Why did Marco Rubio go viral because he was thirsty?

    On February 13, 2013, Senator Marco Rubio interrupted his response to President Obama’s State of the Union so he could take a sip of water. The brief break lit up social media, generating several memes and plenty of fodder for the next day’s talk shows.

    Interestingly, in November 2017, Donald Trump sipping water brought back many memes of Rubio’s “viral water bottle moment.” According to a USA TODAY videosocial media lit up again when President Trump awkwardly took a sip of water during a press conference. For many, it was a throwback to Rubio’s “tough to reach water” in 2013.

    Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

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