In a surprising twist of fate, Marco Rubio has gone from bitter presidential rival to President Donald Trump’s go-to guy. 

At the start of the new administration, current and former officials speculated Rubio would be one of the first Cabinet officials shown the door, as his America First credentials were called into question given his previously hawkish foreign policy views. 

Instead, Rubio has only continued to find favor with the president – so much so that he now holds an unprecedented four different roles within the administration.

‘When I have a problem, I call up Marco. He gets it solved,’ Trump quipped earlier this month. 

First, Rubio glided into the secretary of state role with a 99-0 Senate confirmation. Then, Trump and his team dismantled USAID and merged it under Rubio’s State Department leadership, naming him acting director. The secretary was subsequently tapped to lead the National Archives in an acting capacity, and as of last week, he’s also replaced Mike Waltz as acting national security advisor.

‘This is an expression of trust,’ said Andrew Tabler, a former senior official at State and the National Security Council (NSC). ‘It’s a sign that the president likes Secretary Rubio, despite the odds.’ 

Trump has suggested the interim arrangement could last up to six months, and while that may be an expression of the president’s confidence in Rubio, some are questioning whether one person can effectively juggle four high-profile roles.

‘Marco Rubio is very talented but no one can do that,’ said Joel Rubin, former senior State Department official. 

Henry Kissinger was the last person to serve as both secretary of state and national security advisor, holding both roles for over two years from 1975 to 1977. But that was half a century ago, and threats facing the nation have only multiplied. 

Rubin, who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, called the workload ‘not fair to the individual, not fair to the taxpayer, and not fair to President Trump, who needs strong, independent advice from a national security advisor.’

‘The president has assembled an incredibly talented team that is fully committed to putting America and Americans first,’ a senior State Department official said in response to an inquiry on Rubio’s many duties. ‘Secretary Rubio looks forward to serving as his interim national security advisor while ensuring the mission-critical work at the State Department continues uninterrupted.’

The national security advisor is traditionally the president’s closest aide on matters of war, peace and global crisis – physically located near the Oval Office and ready to brief the president at any moment. That proximity is hard to maintain when the same person is flying overseas for diplomatic missions.

‘If he has to fly off to Pakistan to stop a nuclear war, then the president’s national security advisor, who usually is sitting right next to him, is not there.’

The reshuffling follows a broader shake-up inside the National Security Council, which lost Waltz, deputy advisor Alex Wong, and a number of staffers in early April. That thinning of personnel, several sources said, has only compounded the stakes.

‘There are major national security issues in three different theaters. Europe, Middle East and Asia. One’s a hot war, one is a half-hot war, and it’s really getting tense in Asia,’ said one former NSC official. ‘The president’s national security team needs to be filled out, and many people at State and DOD still need to be confirmed.’

National security advisor ‘is one of the president’s closest relationships,’ said Michael Allen, former special assistant to the president and senior director at NSC. ‘The national security advisor needs to be near the president all the time. Or at least able to brief the president all the time. So this is more duties for Rubio and they’re already short-handed.’

Still, Allen said the president’s personal comfort with his top national security aide may outweigh structural concerns – for now.

‘If the president feels like he needs Rubio there, then this is a good solution,’ Allen said. ‘At least for the short to medium term.’

Yet others say Rubio’s promotion might be more symbolic than operational, particularly in a White House where influence doesn’t always match job titles.

‘I think it’s not, ‘Can Marco Rubio do four jobs?’ It’s, ‘Is he allowed to do his one job – which is Secretary of State?’’ said Mark Feierstein, a former senior official at USAID. ‘Foreign counterparts may see him as pleasant in meetings, but they don’t necessarily believe he can deliver.’

Feierstein pointed to the dismantling of USAID, the rise of informal advisors like Stephen Miller, and the proliferation of special envoys like Steve Witkoff who bypass Rubio entirely. ‘You’ve got loads of people who report directly to Trump or others. So now it’s just chaos,’ he said.

Even Rubio’s ideological positioning raises questions. A staunch foreign policy hawk during his time in the Senate, Rubio has in recent months presided over a foreign policy apparatus that includes outreach to Russia and dramatic State Department budget cuts – moves he may once have opposed.

‘He’s decided to accommodate,’ Feierstein said.

But Rubio’s ability to meet voters where they are – and serve as the president’s happy warrior – may be the key to his longevity. Sparring with voices like Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Vice President JD Vance on foreign policy would only cause further headaches for the president. 

Tabler, for his part, remained optimistic. ‘Rubio is energetic, he knows the issues. He’s been working on foreign policy for years,’ he said. ‘It’s a positive sign. But how long one person can do that job – and under what circumstances – is up to him.’

The House of Representatives voted 211-206 to make President Donald Trump’s name change for the Gulf of America permanent on Thursday morning. 

No Democrats voted for the bill, as was expected. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., was the only Republican to vote against the bill. 

The legislation was led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a vocal ally of Trump’s in Congress.

‘This is such an important thing to do for the American people. The American people deserve pride in their country, and they deserve pride in the waters that we own, that we protect with our military and our Coast Guard and all of the businesses that prosper along these waters,’ Greene said during debate on the bill.

‘But Democrats today are outraged. They’re outraged because they love the cartels more than any other people in the world, more than the American people.’

Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, panned the legislation as a waste of time.

‘Republicans think this juvenile legislation is the best use of this House’s time. This is the only work we’re doing today, folks,’ Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said in his rebuttal to Greene.

‘What a sick joke this is. Republicans worry about 400-year-old words on a map. I worry about families and every community in America that’s struggling to get by.’

The vast majority of Republicans supported the bill, with several arguing the name change would help boost tourism and a sense of patriotism in the region.

However, earlier this week, Fox News Digital was told that several GOP lawmakers privately expressed frustration at what they saw as a largely symbolic bill taking up their time instead of more meaningful legislation to move Trump’s agenda along.

‘I’ve heard criticisms from all corners of the conference. Conservatives to pragmatic ones,’ Bacon told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. ‘It seems sophomoric. The United States is bigger and better than this.’

One conservative GOP lawmaker vented to Fox News Digital, ‘125 other [executive orders], this is the one we pick.’

Greene hit back at the detractors, however, in response to Fox News Digital’s report.

‘Some of my Republican colleagues don’t want to vote for my Gulf of America Act, which is one of President Trump’s favorite executive orders. They say they would rather vote on ‘more serious EOs.’ Boys are you ready to vote to criminalize sex changes on kids?? Because I have that bill on that EO too,’ she wrote on X.

The legislation will now be sent to the Senate, where it must reach a 60-vote threshold — with Democratic support — before it can hit the president’s desk.

A coalition of more than 150 former judges joined together in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, accusing the Trump administration of perpetrating ‘attacks’ against the judiciary.

‘We are former state and federal judges who join together to condemn the Trump Administration’s attacks on the judiciary, including its recent arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan in her courthouse,’ the letter begins.

Dugan allegedly escorted a wanted illegal immigrant ‘out of the courtroom through the ‘jury door,’ which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse,’ according to an affidavit, which notes that authorities at the courthouse to arrest the wanted individual were still ultimately able to apprehend him.

‘This latest action is yet another attempt to intimidate and threaten the judiciary after a series of rulings by judges appointed by presidents of both parties holding the Trump Administration accountable for its countless violations of the Constitution and laws of the United States,’ the former judges declared in their letter.

They asserted that the Justice Department ‘at your direction decided to create an embarrassing spectacle that included the FBI’s arrest and handcuffing of Judge Dugan and the Director of the FBI, Kash Patel, posting a photo of the perp walk on X.’

The letter links to an April X post that features a photo and declares, ‘No one is above the law.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda has been bogged down by judicial roadblocks, and the president has been outspoken in registering his complaints with the judiciary.

‘Our Court System is not letting me do the job I was Elected to do. Activist judges must let the Trump Administration deport murderers, and other criminals who have come into our Country illegally, WITHOUT DELAY!!!’ he declared in a Wednesday Truth Social post.

Despite fears of first-day chaos over the new REAL ID requirement, airports reported smooth sailing Wednesday, with no major disruptions tied to the rollout, according to security officials.

‘We didn’t see long lines,’ one passenger arriving at South Carolina’s Greeneville-Spartanburg Airport from Washington-Dulles told a local reporter. ‘It was a walk in the park.’

TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers said in April that about 20% of the public still lacks REAL ID compliance. When asked whether this could affect travel times starting Wednesday, she said it’s ‘reasonable’ to expect travelers may need to arrive early.

‘I am extremely concerned there will be long lines and a lot of confusion,’ Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, added in comments to travel website The Points Guy ahead of the rollout. Meanwhile, Philadelphia International Airport urged passengers to arrive two-and-a-half hours early for domestic flights Wednesday. 

However, reporters at various airports across the country found that the delays some feared never came to fruition, and wait times were minimal. Airport and security officials confirmed their reports.

‘We are pleased to share that the TSA lines are moving efficiently,’ Nashville International Airport said Wednesday. ‘Smooth operations this morning,’ Baltimore-Washington International Airport reported.    

‘Smooth’ operations were reported by airports and security officials alike. There was an increased presence of Homeland Security officials at Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, but no complaints were reported to Fox News reporters on the ground there from passengers.

Travelers on social media and in news reports shared stories of getting through airport security without a REAL ID, or its compliant equivalent such as a passport, which federal officials indicated would be possible with additional screening ahead of Wednesday’s rollout.

Several passengers without compliant identification were given a notice indicating their IDs were not REAL ID compliant, and they should expect delays the next time they travel if they don’t have one.

The federal government’s REAL ID requirement is two decades in the making and has faced several delays over the years.

The law stemmed from long-held concerns from federal officials about false identification, but gained momentum and was enacted following the 9/11 attacks.

‘REAL ID will keep us more secure. It gives us more information so that we know who is traveling on our federal transportation systems and our airlines,’ Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday in a video from Washington-Reagan International Airport.

‘Thank you everybody for all of your cooperation, and we’re looking to make America more secure in following our federal law.’

President Donald Trump made the surprise announcement this week that the U.S., after weeks of intense strikes, will halt all bombing campaigns on the Houthis in Yemen – but experts have warned the Iran-backed group will not sit idle. 

In Trump’s Tuesday announcement from the Oval Office, he claimed the Houthis ‘just don’t want to fight…and we will honor that. We will stop the bombings.’

The president would not say who provided him with this confirmation by the terrorist network, which for years has attacked U.S. and allied ships in the Red Sea in a major threat to freedom of navigation, but in a laugh following the question, he replied that it came from a ‘very good source.’

Less than two hours later, Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, the foreign minister of Oman, took to X to say, ‘Following recent discussions and contacts conducted by the Sultanate of Oman with the United States and the relevant authorities in Sana’a, in the Republic of Yemen, with the aim of de-escalation, efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.’

‘In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping,’ he added. 

The post suggests that Oman, which has also played an intermediary in the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, was heavily involved in securing the ceasefire.

However, a new report obtained by Fox News Digital ahead of the president’s surprise announcement warns that the Trump administration must remain vigilant against major security threats posed by the Houthis and the international actors supporting the terrorist network.

The report, dubbed ‘The Houthi Challenge: Forging a Strategy to Defeat the Iran-Backed Terror Group in Yemen’ by Ari Heistein for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, highlighted that it is not only Iran that have helped facilitate the Houthi operational capabilities. 

While Tehran has backed the Houthis since at least 2014 – and possibly as early as 2009 during the war in Yemen – through training and advanced weapons like ballistic missiles, Oman has also played a role by allowing the group to operate from its territory and serving as a key smuggling route for Iranian arms.

Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the current executive director of the FDD, called Oman’s role in negotiations between Washington and Middle East adversaries ‘outrageous.’ 

‘To hold them up as responsible intermediaries when they are in fact hosting the very group that we’re trying to dismantle, there’s very little logic [in] this position,’ he told Fox News Digital.

The report found that Iranian arms are smuggled into Yemen through the port of Hodeidah – which was targeted in a series of Israeli strikes on major infrastructure in and around the Houthi-controlled capital of Sana’a this week – but also through smaller ports or overland through Oman.

Omani private banking institutions and businesses are also reportedly known to be ‘servicing the Houthi economy and even supplying the group with arms.’ 

‘More must be done to prevent bulk cash smuggling across the border between Oman and Yemen,’ Heistein found. ‘Muscat must begin to feel pressure from the international community to address a threat finance challenge that has gone unchecked for too long.’

The report breaks down the varied steps that need to be taken to effectively undermine and counter the Houthis as repeated military strikes by first, Saudi Arabia starting in 2015, then recently by the U.S. and Israel, have not significantly degraded the terrorist group.

Those steps include continued military action – similar to Israel’s recent strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port and Sana’a International Airport, which are expected to have far-reaching economic impacts and increase internal pressure on the Houthis. But military action alone isn’t enough; economic, diplomatic, and other soft power strategies are also needed to weaken the group, according to the report. 

The report also highlighted that the Houthis have utilized previous lulls in fighting with nations like Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Israel to regroup and rebuild. 

‘Compelling the Houthis to halt attacks on shipping is a meaningful achievement only if it is part of a broader, long-term strategy,’ Heistein told Fox News Digital. ‘However, if a Red Sea ceasefire becomes the centerpiece and endpoint of U.S. policy toward the Houthis, it risks empowering an increasingly dangerous regime to escalate and de-escalate at will.

 ‘Without a comprehensive approach to addressing the Houthi threat, the U.S. and its allies could soon be confronting a more dangerous, better-armed terrorist group,’ Heinstein warned.