Newly sworn-in Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded his swearing-in ceremony by publicly thanking Jesus Christ for his guidance and support.
As the 53-year-old Florida Republican and former senator took the helm of U.S. diplomacy during a swearing-in ceremony at the State Department Tuesday, Rubio concluded his statements with a public confession of faith.
“I want to end by thanking Almighty God and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” said Rubio. “That is truly the singular purpose of our lives. It’s the most important priority. It’s the only thing that will matter when we take our last breath on this Earth. But this is an extraordinary opportunity that would not have been possible without God’s blessings.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
In his brief remarks, Rubio also emphasized his commitment to making the U.S. stronger, safer and more prosperous through its foreign policy: “President Trump has made it very clear everything we do — and this is true in government but especially at the Department of State — everything we do must be justified by the answer to one of three questions: Does it make us stronger, does it make us safer, and does it make us more prosperous? If it doesn’t do one of those three things, we will not do it.”
Baptized Roman Catholic as an infant, Rubio’s mother attended Mormon services for a while in Nevada where he was baptized again at 8 years old. His days as a Mormon, however, were short lived: when he moved back to Miami at 13, he began attending Catholic services again.
Rubio also attends Protestant Evangelical services at Christ Fellowship in Miami with his wife and former pro cheerleader Jeanette Christina Dousdebes Rubio.
The former U.S. senator from Florida, who was confirmed with unanimous support from the Senate, is stepping into a role with decades of experience, both in the Senate and as a leading figure on foreign relations.
Having spent the past 14 years as a key member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio is familiar with the intricacies of global diplomacy, particularly in areas including the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America, according to The Associated Press. He has long been a vocal advocate for NATO and a firm opponent of Russia’s influence, positioning himself as a hawk on global security issues.
While Rubio has had a publicly volatile relationship with the president, he was one of a three prominent GOP figures who advocated for a softer approach to the issue of abortion in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.
In July, Rubio voiced support for removing the plan to pass a national abortion ban from the GOP’s party platform. At the time, Rubio asserted that it’s up to voters to decide how they want to restrict abortion or whether they want to restrict it at all.
“Our platform has to reflect our nominee, and our nominee’s position happens to be one grounded in reality,” Rubio said during an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash.
Rubio stated that the Supreme Court, in overturning Roe v. Wade, decided that abortion is a “political issue,” and now voters can “decide via the people they voted for or voted against at the state level, and that’s the reality.”
