Marco Rubio now permanently holds the two most influential foreign policy positions in the U.S. government: President Donald Trump officially appointed him as National Security Advisor on Tuesday, according to sources from the State Department, the White House, and senior officials in the administration confirmed to Fox News.
With this appointment, Rubio becomes the second official in U.S. history to simultaneously hold the positions of Secretary of State and National Security Advisor. The only precedent is Henry Kissinger, who combined both roles from September 1973 to November 1975, during the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
Rubio had been serving as the interim National Security Advisor since May 1, 2025, when Trump appointed him to fill the vacancy left by Mike Waltz, who was then named ambassador to the UN. For over 16 months, he managed both responsibilities simultaneously without the appointment being formalized.
The White House confirmed that Trump signed a formal appointment commission, although it did not specify the exact date of the signing.
The nomination solidifies him as the central figure in U.S. foreign policy. In his new role, he will oversee the National Security Council staff and provide direct counsel to the president on foreign policy, intelligence, and defense during a time of heightened global tension, with ongoing negotiations concerning Ukraine, Iran, and Cuba.
Experts and former officials from the National Security Council have noted that both positions are indeed full-time commitments and that the concentration of power in a single individual is unusual, although no formal ethical irregularity has been established. The chain NBC described Rubio's role as one of the most expansive in modern presidency, pointing out that he has more direct contact time with Trump than most cabinet members.
Rubio was confirmed as Secretary of State in January 2025, becoming the first Hispanic to lead U.S. diplomacy. He is the son of Cuban immigrants who left the Island in 1956, before Fidel Castro came to power, and his family background has influenced his hardline stance towards Havana, Caracas, and Managua.
In recent weeks, he announced new sanctions against entities linked to the Cuban military apparatus and the nickel sector. The magazine Bloomberg Businessweek featured him last week as the most powerful man in Washington within the Trump environment and as a favorite among major Republican donors in the lead-up to the 2028 presidential elections.
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