Marco Rubio emerges as finalist for Trump's Secretary of State

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a hawk on China and Iraq, has  emerged as the finalist to be President-elect Donald Trump's Secretary of State in his second term and his nomination could be announced as early as Tuesday, according directly familiar with the deliberations

The New York Times, CNN and other legacy news outlets first reported Monday night that Trump had settled on Rubio. Just the News independently confirmed Trump had settled on the Florida senator.

Rubio, a Cuban-American, would be the first Latino to serve as the nation's top diplomat if nominated and confimed by the Senate.

He has large experience on the foreign stage and ran unsuccessfully against Trump during the 2016 primaries, where his future boss humorously named him "Little Marco."

But Rubio was an ally as Trump began his remarkable comeback to win the presidency in 2024.

Trump has been filling out his national security team, on Monday formally naming Rep. Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador and Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida as his national security adviser.

Advisors told Just the News on Monday night that Trump also was closing in on naming Scott Bessent as his Treasury Secretary nominee.

Bessent, a 62-year-old hedge fund manager who once worked with liberal philanthropist George Soros, emerged in recent years as a top Trump adviser on the economy.