Florida's Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sailed through his confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Rubio’s quip about the protesters appeared to set the tone for his hearing.
Though Rubio faced tough questions about detailed geopolitical issues on nearly every continent, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also joked around with their Senate colleague.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott introduced Rubio at the top of the hearing and quipped that "finally" he will get to be the senior Senator of Florida after the duo have served together in the upper chamber since 2019.
Democrat from New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker drew chuckles when he said, "Senator Rubio the President [elect] made a great decision in choosing you.
"You’re a thought leader in foreign policy. I, however, don’t think most Americans know how great of a thought leader you are in NCAA, NFL and high school football, and I’m a little disappointed that you’re not going to the head of the NCAA right now."
To which Rubio replied, "Not yet," garnering laughs from the room.
In another bipartisan moment rarely seen during Cabinet nomination hearings, Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth told a touching story from one of her first encounters with Rubio — a stark contrast to her questioning of Pete Hegseth the day prior.
In 2018, not only was Duckworth relatively new to the upper chamber, but the soon-to-be new mom was also pushing the congressional body to change its rules and allow new parents to bring their infant onto the Senate floor during a vote.
Duckworth, who is physically disabled after surviving a 2004 RPG attack on her helicopter in Iraq, described rolling across the Senate floor in her wheelchair when she heard someone call out her name.
"And you came running down from the top back of the Senate chambers to tell me, ‘I’m with you. I will support you’," she said. "And I just want to thank you for that kindness… It was a moment of true bipartisanship."
Rubio responded and said, "I think what I exactly said is, ‘What’s the big deal? This place is already full of babies’," once again drawing laughs.
US Senator Marco Rubio testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be Secretary of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 15, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
But Rubio added that "there’s no way Ukraine is also pushing these people [Russians] all the way back to where they were on the eve of the invasion."
Rubio pointed out that Ukraine will not be able to keep up with the sheer number of bodies that Russia can throw in to the war.
"It's important for everyone to be realistic. There will have to be concessions," Rubio said. "This is not going to be easy. "[It's] going to require a lot of hard diplomacy."
TRUMP CABINET PICKS PAM BONDI, MARCO RUBIO, OTHERS FACED A FULL DAY OF QUESTIONS FROM SENATORS
The security threats surrounding China came up in nearly every issue Rubio was asked to address, including its growing presence in Africa and Latin America, its oppressive practices in the South China Sea, concerns over trade, human rights abuses, tech and its growing relationships with other adversarial nations.
But one issue newer to headlines as of late is China’s involvement in the Panama Canal.
"This is something that's existed now for at least a decade in my service," he said referring to a 2017 trip he took to Panama. "Chinese companies control port facilities at both ends of the canal — the east and the west. And the concerns among military officials and security officials, including in Panama, at that point, [was] that could one day be used as a choke point to impede commerce in a moment of conflict."
"This is a legitimate issue that needs to be confronted," he added.
The issue over Chinese control over the major waterway resurfaced earlier this month when Trump refused to say whether he would rule out military intervention in the Panama Canal.
Rubio was pressed on this issue multiple times, though he was clear that he was not yet at a point where he knew enough about the legal parameters of U.S. intervention in Panama to give a thorough response.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Virginia Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine applauded Rubio for being "extremely well-prepared" for his confirmation hearing as the next secretary of state. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Virginia Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine applauded Rubio for being "extremely well-prepared" for his confirmation hearing as the next secretary of state — a stark contrast to his tense engagement with Hegseth during his hearing one day prior.
"We're used to seeing nominees who know a lot about a couple of things, and sometimes, who know very little about virtually everything," he said. "But I think you've seen a hearing with a nominee who, agree or disagree with the points he's made, he's not talking out of a briefing book.
"He's not having a thumb through a binder to decide how to answer a particular question," Kaine continued. "I've always been struck by working with Sen. Rubio on this committee, since I came to the Senate in January 2013, that he has a very well-developed sense of the world and a passion in all corners of it."
Kaine's sentiment appeared to be shared by the entirety of the committee, and many of the senators expressed confidence that Rubio will be unanimously confirmed for the top job.
Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-5-moments-rubios-senate-confirmation-hearing-get-bilingual-protesters