Former U.S. senator from Florida Marco Rubio jumps into new role as secretary of state with flurry of phone calls, planned trip to Panama.

Washington — The Senate on Monday confirmed Marco Rubio as secretary of state, making him the first of President Trump's Cabinet nominees to win the approval of the upper chamber. The Senate confirmed Rubio in a 99 to 0 vote as his former colleagues in the Senate touted his qualifications for the job.

The Senate confirmed Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, on Monday as America’s 72nd secretary of state, putting a former political rival of President Trump at the helm of American diplomacy.

State Department staff were instructed to “suspend any application requesting an X sex marker” and to “suspend any application where the applicant is seeking to change their sex marker.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during an interview that President Trump’s wish to acquire the Arctic island Greenland is serious and rooted in national security concerns for both the rest of

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he had "zero doubt" that China has a contingency plan to shut down the Panama Canal in the event of a conflict with the U.S. and that Washington intends to address what it sees as a national security threat.

While Rubio’s anti-China rhetoric aligns with Washington’s broader geopolitical goals, the tools at his disposal are insufficient to match Beijing’s economic engagement.

China's top diplomat held his first phone conversation with the new US secretary of state on Friday, days after Donald Trump's return to the White House brought more uncertainty to relations. Since then,

During an interview with Megyn Kelly, Rubio said that Trump's desire to purchase the Danish territory of Greenland is serious.

After taking the oath of office, Marco Rubio promised that every action taken by the State Department will be determined by the answers to three questions.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump pushes for all government departments to prioritise ‘America First’.