Former faculty Marco Rubio becomes the nation’s 72nd Secretary of State

“Senator Rubio now holds the highest position by any FIU faculty, teaching at the university for two decades as a senior fellow” | Courtesy of the U.S. Mission in Vietnam.

Gabriella Mateo | Staff Writer

Florida junior Senator and former visiting professor Marco Rubio was officially sworn in as the first confirmed cabinet member of the second Trump administration during a rare unanimous vote in his favor on January 21, 2025.

Rubio is now the first Hispanic-American and Floridian to be Secretary of State as the son of Cuban refugees who immigrated in 1956. In his inauguration speech, the former Senator thanked in Spanish God and his family.

“There is a whole story there that makes him appealing domestically, as someone who came from the bottom, but also internationally, showcasing that anyone in the U.S. can make it to those positions,” said politics and international affairs professor Daniel Pedreira when asked about the impact of Rubio’s background.

“Obviously, he’s going to do whatever President Trump decides to do on foreign policy, but he will still be a pretty strong advisor, if not the strongest advisor on foreign affairs. You can always try to steer the president into a more cooperative route than he may normally follow on his own,” said  Professor Pedreira in response to Rubio’s turn to isolationism.  

Senator Rubio now holds the highest position by any FIU faculty, teaching at the university for two decades as a senior fellow in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs.

During his time at FIU, he taught alongside Dr. Dario Moreno, who, as of now, did not respond for comment. Rubio’s adjunct professor contract expired on December 25, 2024, and he stated during a financial disclosure that it will not be renewed during his time as Secretary of State.

“I’ve not known Rubio to be so isolationist policy-wise, but as Trump’s left-hand man, I’d assume he’d bend a little to the whims of the President,” said international relations student, Maria Matos, when asked about her thoughts on Rubio’s future policies.

Rubio said that the State Department’s every action will be determined by three questions: “Does it make us stronger? Does it make us safer? And does it make us more prosperous?”

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