As he continues to fill out his cabinet, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to tap Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, according to officials familiar with the decisions.
All three nominees are tightly aligned with the former president’s policies on national security and border protection, supporting his America-first agenda, aggressive China policies, and mass deportations of illegal immigrants. The three were also major surrogates for Trump on the campaign trail, rallying supporters on behalf of the former president.
Rubio, who sits on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee, has agreed with Trump on international conflicts, including bringing a quick end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. He voted against an April bill that would have sent $95 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Rubio endorsed Trump over his home state governor Ron DeSantis (R.) in the presidential primaries earlier this year.
Waltz, who is known as a China and Iran hawk on Capitol Hill, is a member of the Armed Services, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs committees in the House. Waltz, who served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, strongly condemned President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of troops from the country. The Florida congressman also served as a counterterrorism adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney.
The former Green Beret has spearheaded the Trump campaign’s military outreach and helped with the Veterans For Trump coalition this election cycle.
Noem, who has served as governor of South Dakota since 2019, has been a consistent supporter of Trump’s strong stance on immigration and border security. Noem sent her South Dakota National Guard troops to help serve along the southern border numerous times.
Noem would replace Alejandro Mayorkas as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and would work with Tom Homan, who was named Trump’s “border czar” on Sunday, and Stephen Miller, who was promoted to White House deputy chief of staff for policy on Monday.
Trump has yet to publicly announce Rubio, Waltz, and Noem’s nominations.
