We’re only hours into this new Trump administration, and events are happening at a breakneck pace. The new president has been sworn in, the old one (Biden) has flown off into the sunset, and change is happening by the minute as Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders. Meanwhile, the Senate passed the Laken Riley Act, country superstar Carrie Underwood overcame a technical snafu to deliver a performance for the ages, and there is an optimism in the country that has been noticeably absent after four long years of Biden malaise.

And now we have a new Secretary of State, former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who on Monday was confirmed by a resounding Senate vote of 99-0.

Fox News' Chad Pergram summed it up in extremely concise fashion with a tweet:

Senate confirms Rubio as Secretary of State, 99-0

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 20, 2025

Rubio is the first of Trump’s cabinet picks to be confirmed.

It's a New Day: Laken Riley Act Clears the Senate and Heads Back to the House

Trump's Foreign Policy Priorities Come Into Sharp Focus at Marco Rubio's Confirmation Hearing

It’s not often you see a Cabinet pick get confirmed by a unanimous vote:

The Senate voted on Monday to confirm Marco Rubio as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state, the first high-level Cabinet official for the new administration to be approved by the chamber.

The confirmation vote took place just hours after Trump was sworn in as president. The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote was 99 to 0 with no senators voting against the nomination.

Rubio has served as a Republican senator from Florida since 2011, and his nomination drew strong support from a number of Senate Democrats, who called their colleague highly qualified for the role.

Rubio went from Trump adversary to ally in recent years in a remarkable political turnaround. Now, he will play a key role as a high-ranking official in Trump’s new administration.

The other Florida senator, Rick Scott, said he would miss his compatriot but knew he would do a good job:

Excited to confirm my friend, @MarcoRubio, as our next Secretary of State! He was a great senator who fought daily to improve Florida families' lives.

I’m going to miss him in the Senate, but I know he will do a fantastic job leading the Department of State. pic.twitter.com/t6BEZGaM4b

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) January 20, 2025

Although Rubio and Trump clashed when they both ran for president in 2016—with Trump winning the whole enchilada that year—they have since patched up their differences and become allies.

What he had to say at his confirmation hearings impressed both Republicans and Democrats:

During questions from senators, Rubio voiced his support for NATO – as well as a bipartisan law he co-sponsored that states that the US cannot withdraw from the alliance without Senate approval or an act of Congress.

Rubio also talked about the need for the US to take a strong stance with respect to China during his confirmation hearing, calling the Chinese Communist Party a “potent” and “dangerous” adversary.

“They’re a technological adversary and competitor, an industrial competitor, an economic competitor, geopolitical competitor, a scientific competitor now, in every realm, it’s an extraordinary challenge and one that I believe will define the 21st century,” Rubio said.

“We’ve allowed them to get away with things, and frankly the Chinese did what any country in the world would do given these opportunities, they took advantage of it, so now we’re dealing with the ramifications of it,” he said.

As our Brad Slager reported, Sunshine State Gov. Ron DeSantis has picked the state’s Attorney General Ashley Moody as the selection to replace Rubio in the Senate.

BREAKING - Ron DeSantis Announces His Choice to Replace Marco Rubio's Vacated Senate Seat

Things are moving fast. Keep it right here at RedState for the latest breaking news as the Trump comeback continues.