President Donald Trump has formally appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his permanent national security adviser, ending more than 16 months in which Rubio held the powerful White House position on an acting basis.
A White House spokesperson confirmed that Trump signed a commission appointing Rubio to the post. The administration did not disclose precisely when the commission was signed.
Rubio will remain secretary of state while overseeing the National Security Council and advising Trump on foreign policy, defense and intelligence matters.
The arrangement places Rubio in rare historical company. He is the first official since Henry Kissinger in the 1970s to serve simultaneously as secretary of state and national security adviser.
The national security adviser coordinates policy recommendations from agencies including the State Department, Defense Department and intelligence community before presenting them to the president. Unlike the secretary of state, the position does not require Senate confirmation.
Rubio began performing those duties May 1, 2025, when Trump selected him to replace Mike Waltz temporarily while continuing his leadership of the State Department.
Trump praised Rubio while announcing the initial appointment.
“When I have a problem, I call up Marco. He gets it solved,” Trump said at the time.
Waltz left the White House position following controversy over a Signal group chat involving senior administration officials and planned US military strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen.
Waltz mistakenly added The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the private conversation, allowing the journalist to view messages concerning the operation. The episode became widely known as “Signalgate.”
Trump subsequently nominated Waltz to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations. The Senate confirmed him in September 2025 by a 47-43 vote.
Rubio’s permanent appointment preserves the foreign policy structure Trump has used since Waltz’s departure, with one official directing the State Department and coordinating the White House national security process.
The former Florida senator was unanimously confirmed as secretary of state shortly after Trump returned to office in January 2025. He became the first Hispanic American to serve as the nation’s top diplomat.
Rubio’s combined responsibilities give him an influential role in shaping the administration’s responses to international conflicts, relations with US allies and adversaries, intelligence assessments and military decisions.
The dual assignment also consolidates responsibilities that are usually divided between two officials. The secretary of state traditionally directs American diplomacy, while the national security adviser coordinates competing recommendations from across the executive branch, per Trending Politics.
Rubio has attracted speculation as a possible contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. However, he said during a September trip to Colombia that he had no current campaign plans and remained entirely focused on his administration responsibilities.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I have no plans at this time,” Rubio said when questioned about a potential presidential campaign.
The signed commission removes Rubio’s acting designation and formally establishes the dual-role arrangement for the remainder of his service in both positions.
