President-elect Donald Trump meets with President Joe Biden for two hours at the White House, and confirms Sen. Marco Rubio as his pick for secretary of state.

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Trump taps Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to serve as secretary of state

President-elect Donald Trump announced Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his choice for his next secretary of state on Tuesday, selecting a loyalist who has advocated for U.S. intervention abroad and who is not favored among Trump’s more isolationist-leaning supporters and allies.

Rubio, a 53-year-old in his third Senate term, was one of Trump’s more critical opponents during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, but has since fully embraced his party’s leader and become one of his most consistent supporters in and out of office. 

The son of Cuban immigrants and a veteran of Miami Republican politics, Rubio has long backed an aggressive U.S. foreign policy stance, expressing support for Israel’s continued bombardment of the Gaza Strip and neighboring countries, an increasingly adversarial U.S. stance toward China and regime changes in Venezuela, Cuba and Iran.

He is also an avowed supporter of NATO, the military alliance with European allies that Trump has long been critical of, but he has strayed from his early support for Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

In April, Rubio voted against a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, and he has started to argue for “a negotiated settlement” to the end of the war, as Trump has left the door open to supporting a deal in which the country would give up some territory seized by Russia — a nonstarter for Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy. 

“It is my Great Honor to announce that Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The United States Secretary of State. Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom,” Trump said in a statement Wednesday. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries. I look forward to working with Marco to Make America, and the World, Safe and Great Again!”

The Florida Republican held outsized influence during Trump’s first term on the then-president’s Latin America policy, and has been the top Republican on the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence since 2020. In a different era, Rubio was a member of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” during the Obama administration, when he and seven other top senators split evenly among the parties attempted to find a path forward on comprehensive immigration reform.

'Welcome back': Biden, Trump hold nearly two-hour meeting at the White House

Donald Trump and Joe Biden sat down at the White House on Wednesday for a meeting, as the Republican former president and now president-elect prepares to take back the office in just over two months. 

In very brief remarks in front of press at the top of their meeting, both presidents, seated in front of a lit fireplace in the Oval Office, pledged a smooth transition of power, the second time one will occur between these two men in particular. 

The first one in 2020 was marked by a parting from tradition, with Trump declining to invite Biden to the exact meeting the current president invited his predecessor — and now successor — to on Wednesday. Biden, on the other hand, has pledged to uphold the customs of the office, encouraging the nation in his first public remarks after the election last week to accept the results and vowing to ensure an orderly transition of power. 

“Looking forward to having a, like we said, a smooth transition,” Biden said to kick off the remarks on Wednesday, going on to add that his White House will “do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated — what you need.”

“Politics is tough, and it’s in many cases not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today and I appreciate it very much,” Trump responded. “A transition that’s so smooth, it’ll be as smooth as it can get.” 

The sitting president on Wednesday also congratulated Trump on his election victory over Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, and welcomed him back to the White House. 

“Welcome back,” Biden said. 

“Thank you very much,” Trump responded, ending his remarks referring to the president as “Joe.” 

Jeff Zients, Biden’s chief of staff, and Susie Wiles, who Trump tapped for this same role in his White House fresh off the election last week, were present for Wednesday’s meeting. In total, the president-elect was at the White House for nearly two hours, starting his Oval Office sit-down with Biden at 11:07 p.m. ET and leaving the grounds just after 1 p.m. ET. 

First lady Jill Biden joined the president in greeting Trump when he arrived on Wednesday and gave him a handwritten note to give to his wife, Melania Trump, according to the White House. The former and now incoming first lady was not present at the White House on Wednesday, rejecting tradition. 

While Biden and Trump only mentioned discussing the transition of power during their brief remarks to press, current White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday told CBS News that the president would touch on top domestic and foreign policy issues. 

Senate Republicans vote to make John Thune their leader

Senate Republicans on Wednesday voted to make South Dakota Sen. John Thune their leader, the first new person to helm the conference in nearly two decades.

Thune, 63, will take the reins from Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has led Republicans in Congress' upper chamber for 18 years, and will oversee the first GOP Senate majority in four years.

The South Dakota senator, who is in his fourth term, beat out Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott for the position, despite several allies of President-elect Donald Trump expressing their favor for the latter.

In a statement after the vote, Thune said he was "extremely honored" to have garnered the support of his colleagues and vowed to help implement Trump's proposals next year.

Sen. John Thune has been voted as the incoming Senate Majority Leader. (AP Photo)

"I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority and the White House," Thune said. "This Republican team is united behind President Trump's agenda, and our work starts today."

The move elevates a top deputy of McConnell into a key position as Trump returns to the White House.

Thune, who has promised to work closely with Trump despite differences the two have had over the years, will be a crucial part of the incoming president’s efforts to push through his policy agenda.

Like McConnell, Thune hails from the Republican Party’s more traditional wing. He has held the Republican whip position — the No. 2 in party leadership — since 2019.