Senate Confirms Rubio, 99-0

Marco Rubio, who had faced less opposition than several other Cabinet nominees, was confirmed Monday evening by the Senate to be secretary of state. The vote was 99-0 to approve Rubio, a longtime Florida senator who became the first pick by President Trump to be confirmed and the 72nd person to hold the office, the New York Times reports. "Marco Rubio is a very intelligent man with a remarkable understanding of American foreign policy," Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley told the chamber, per the AP. One of the 99 votes came from Rubio, per the Hill.

Rubio, who succeeds Antony Blinken, will be the first Latino to be the nation's top diplomat. He was a Trump rival for the 2016 GOP nomination, ripped by the incoming president at the time as being a Washington insider and mocked as "Little Marco." Rubio argued Trump was not fit to be president but later became a defender. Their past views suggest conflict, per the Times: Rubio developed a reputation for holding hawkish foreign policy views and advocating for human rights. He is the son of Cuban immigrants. (More President-elect Trump stories.)