Trump confirms Marco Rubio as his pick for secretary of state

President-elect also nominates Matt Gaetz to be attorney general

President-elect Donald Trump made a series of nominations for top positions in his new government on Wednesday, confirming that he wants Senator Marco Rubio to be secretary of state and raising eyebrows by picking Congressman Matt Gaetz to be attorney general.

Mr Rubio's name first circulated via media reports on Monday, but unlike with other cabinet picks, Mr Trump was slow to confirm his choice.

The Florida senator sits on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee. He is staunchly pro-Israel and known for his hawkish views on Iran, China and Cuba.

“Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom. He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Mr Trump said in a statement.

In the aftermath of Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, which sparked the more than year-long conflict that has consumed the region, Mr Rubio came out strongly in support of Israel.

“I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on,” Mr Rubio once told a protester. “These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes.”

The senator has backed military and economic aid to Israel and endorsed the controversial move of the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2018.

“I look forward to working with Marco to Make America, and the World, Safe and Great Again,” Mr Trump said in his statement.

Mr Rubio's nomination came despite him once being a Trump foe, previously calling the president-elect a “con artist” with tiny hands. Mr Trump hit back by calling the senator “Little Marco”.

In announcing Mr Gaetz, a representative from Florida who was the subject of a sex trafficking investigation that resulted in no charges against him, Mr Trump said his nominee would “root out the systemic corruption at DOJ [Department of Justice], and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution”.

Mr Gaetz became a conservative star when he joined Congress, appearing as a frequent staunch defender of Mr Trump on cable news.

And Mr Trump selected Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, to serve as his director of national intelligence.

Ms Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider, compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions.