President Donald Trump has appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his full-time national security adviser after months of serving in the role in an acting capacity.
Trump appointed Rubio to the position during his trip to New York, where he attended the United Nations General Assembly, MS NOW first reported.
Rubio is now the first person to serve as both the Secretary of State and national security adviser since Henry Kissinger, who did the same between 1973 and 1975 for both the Nixon and Ford administrations.
The former Florida Senator served as Trump’s acting national security advisor for more than a year, replacing the current U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz.
Waltz left the position in May 2025 after becoming embroiled in the "Signalgate"
scandal in which he and several other prominent officials were accused of using the commercial messaging application Signal to discuss highly sensitive details about a planned U.S. military strike in Yemen.
What does the national security adviser do?
Commonly known as the national security adviser, "The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs," serves as the president's chief adviser on security issues and serves as the head of the National Security Council.
According to Congress, the NSC was created to "integrate domestic, foreign, and military policies related to national security, and to facilitate cooperation among the military services and other government departments and agencies in matters of national security."
Rubio dismisses potential 2028 presidential run after Trump praise
Trump has previously praised Rubio, saying the 55-year-old can handle multiple responsibilities.
"When I have a problem, I call up Marco. He gets it solved," Trump said after replacing Waltz with Rubio.
Aside from praise by those inside the White House, Rubio has also been floated as a potential successor to Trump in the 2028 presidential election. Recent polling has shown him trailing Vice President JD Vance.
But Rubio has said he does not plan to launch a presidential bid anytime soon.
"I don't know what the future holds, but I have no plans at this time," Rubio said to Colombian news station RCN. "I'm not a candidate for anything right now. And I’m 100% focused on my job, and I have to be because I have two jobs."
Contributing: Reuters
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump officially names Marco Rubio his national security adviser
