Marco Rubio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marco Rubio
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Official portrait, 2025
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| 72nd United States Secretary of State | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 21, 2025 |
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| President | Donald Trump | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Antony Blinken | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Acting Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office February 3, 2025 |
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| President | Donald Trump | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jason Gray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator from Florida |
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| In office January 3, 2011 – January 20, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | George LeMieux | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ashley Moody | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 94th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office November 21, 2006 – November 18, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Allan Bense | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ray Sansom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 111th district |
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| In office January 25, 2000 – November 18, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Carlos Valdes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Erik Fresen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Marco Antonio Rubio
May 28, 1971 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
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| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Jeanette Dousdebes
(m. 1998) |
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| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Florida (BA) University of Miami (JD) |
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| Signature |  |
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Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He is currently the 72nd United States Secretary of State. He also serves as the acting administrator of USAID since 2025. Before this, he was a U.S. Senator for Florida from 2011 to 2025. He was also the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 2006 to 2008.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Marco Antonio Rubio was born in Miami, Florida. He was the third child of Mario Rubio Reina and Oriales García Rubio. His parents were from Cuba and moved to the United States in 1956. This was before Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba.
Rubio has three siblings: Mario, Barbara, and Veronica. His family was Catholic. For a few years, from ages 8 to 11, his family attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while living in Las Vegas. His father worked as a bartender there, and his mother was a housekeeper. The family moved back to Miami a year later. He was confirmed and later married in the Catholic Church.
Rubio went to South Miami Senior High School and finished in 1989. He attended Tarkio College for one year on a football scholarship. Then he went to Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Florida in 1993. He then got his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996. Rubio has shared that he had $100,000 in student loans, which he paid off by 2012.
Political Career Highlights
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Rubio is a Cuban American from Miami, Florida. In the 1990s, he served as a city commissioner for West Miami. In 2000, he was elected to represent the 111th district in the Florida House of Representatives. He later became the Speaker of the Florida House, serving for two years starting in November 2006. After leaving the Florida legislature in 2008, he taught at Florida International University.
In 2010, Rubio was elected to the U.S. Senate. In April 2015, he decided to run for president instead of seeking reelection to the Senate. He ended his presidential campaign in March 2016 after losing to Donald Trump in the Florida Republican primary. He then ran for reelection to the Senate and won a second term.
Even though he had criticized Trump during the 2016 presidential primaries, Rubio supported him later. He was largely supportive of Trump's presidency. He was very influential in U.S. policy toward Latin America during Trump's first term. He was also known for his strong views on China and the Chinese Communist Party.
Rubio became Florida's senior senator in January 2019. He was reelected to a third term in 2022. He supported Trump for president in 2024. In November 2024, President-elect Trump announced that he would nominate Rubio as United States Secretary of State. The U.S. Senate approved his nomination, and he took office on January 21, 2025.
Secretary of State (2025–present)
Rubio is the first Latino person to serve as Secretary of State. This makes him the highest-ranking Hispanic American official in U.S. history. He is also the first person from Florida to hold this position.
On January 24, 2025, Rubio announced that the United States had rejoined the Geneva Consensus Declaration. This is an international agreement that supports women’s rights and health.
For his first trip abroad as Secretary of State, Rubio plans to visit several countries. These include Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. The trip aims to discuss ways to reduce illegal migration. It also supports Trump’s goal to regain control of the Panama Canal.
In February 2025, Rubio met with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele. They agreed that El Salvador would accept deported foreign nationals who committed crimes. This also includes jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Rubio supported Trump's idea for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip. He stated that the U.S. "stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again." He believes this will help achieve lasting peace in the region.
Political Views
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Rubio supports balancing the federal budget. He believes that spending on defense should be a top priority. He does not agree with the scientific view that human activity is the main cause of climate change. He argues that plans to address climate change would not work and would harm the economy. He is against the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and has voted to cancel it.
Rubio supports setting corporate taxes at 25%. He also wants to change the tax rules and limit government regulations on businesses. He suggests raising the Social Security retirement age because people are living longer. He supports having more public charter schools. He is against Common Core State Standards. He also wants to close the federal Department of Education.
Rubio's foreign policy is often described as "interventionist" and "hawkish." This means he supports the U.S. being actively involved in global issues. He supports the Trans Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement. He believes the U.S. needs to be more open to trade to avoid being left out of global markets. On capital punishment, Rubio favors making the appeals process faster.
Rubio has very strong views on China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He is considered one of the most outspoken members of the U.S. Congress on China. Rubio believes that without a major effort to challenge China, the world could face a "new dark age."
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Rubio is a strong supporter of Israel.
Personal Life
Rubio is Catholic and attends Mass at Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables, Florida. He previously attended Christ Fellowship, a Southern Baptist Church.
In 1998, Rubio married Jeanette Dousdebes. She was a bank teller and a Miami Dolphins cheerleader. They were married in a Catholic ceremony. They have four children. Rubio and his family live in West Miami, Florida.
As of 2018, reports showed that Rubio's net worth was negative. This means he owed more money than he owned, specifically over $1.8 million.
Honors and Awards
Foreign Honors
Romania :
Commander of the Order of the Star of Romania (2017)
Awards and Recognitions
- Everglades Champions award (2019)
- Democracy Award for Innovation and Modernization (2024)
Images for kids
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Rubio and Mario Díaz-Balart in 2001
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Rubio's official portrait as a Florida State Representative
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Then Speaker-Designate Rubio challenging Florida House colleagues to help write 100 Innovative Ideas For Florida's Future in September 2005
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Rubio as chairman of the Florida House Select Committee on Private Property Rights in October 2005
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Rubio with Democratic leader Dan Gelber in 2007
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Florida House Speaker Rubio and Senate President Ken Pruitt embrace after the Florida House's unanimous approval of the Florida Senate]]'s resolution to formally express deep regret for slavery in March 2008
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Rubio's portrait during the
112th Congress -
Rubio with Israeli president Shimon Peres during a trip to Israel in February 2013
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Rubio touring the U.S.-Mexican border in November 2011 with Border Patrol officials
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Senator Rubio speaks at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland
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Rubio applauds Florida governor Ron DeSantis during an event with the Venezuelan American community in February 2019
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See also
In Spanish: Marco Rubio para niños
- Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act
- Republican Party presidential candidates, 2016
- Florida Republican primary, 2016
- List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
