Marco Rubio sworn in as secretary of state

The former Republican senator from Florida on Tuesday took the oath of office after the Senate unanimously confirmed him the day before. He was the first of Trump’s cabinet and cabinet-level appointees confirmed by the Senate, Vice President J.D. Vance said. Rubio said at his confirmation hearing last week that President Donald Trump had a mandate from voters to promote peace and order abroad while restoring safety and security at home. Fulfilling that mandate would be his sole focus as secretary of state, Rubio said.

What happened at the Tuesday swearing-in ceremony? Vice President J.D. Vance on Tuesday introduced Rubio as one of his favorite people in Washington. Rubio understood Trump’s foreign policy priorities and would help the United States depart from a generation of failed ideas, Vance said. Rubio told attendees that the priority of the U.S. Department of State under his leadership would be the United States. If policies were not going to make America safer, stronger, or more prosperous, then the State Department would not enact those policies, he said.

What does Rubio see as the biggest challenges for the United States abroad? When speaking at his confirmation hearing, Rubio listed some of the biggest challenges facing the United States internationally. Those included the nefarious actions of the Chinese Communist Party, the Russian and Iranian governments, and Mexico’s drug cartels.

Dig deeper: Read Lynde Langdon’s report about Rubio’s confirmation hearing before the Senate last week.