(CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump will likely choose Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, two people familiar with his thinking told CNN, as he rounds out his national security team for a second term.

It was unclear Monday evening whether Trump had formally offered Rubio the role.

Early in the morning, one of the sources said, Trump was thought to be leaning toward Ric Grenell, but during the day Monday he changed his preference to Rubio after several calls and conversations with the Florida senator’s allies. Grenell served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and then acting director of national intelligence during his first administration.

Until an offer is formally made, another source said, Trump could change his mind.

Trump will likely choose Rubio as his top diplomat and, as CNN reported earlier, another China hawk in office. Florida Rep. Mike Waltz is expected to become his national security adviser, Selecting Rubio for this role would signal from the outset the president-elect’s desire to aggravate China.

The New York Times first reported on Trump’s expected offer to Rubio.

Rubio, who was in the running for vice president, had made clear he was potentially interested in joining Trump’s Cabinet if it was for the right role, multiple sources familiar with the process told CNN.

Given his extensive foreign policy experience and the fact that he serves on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee, the State Department seemed like a good fit for him. The senator is also from Florida and has a close relationship with new chief of staff Susie Wiles.

A spokesperson for Rubio declined to comment on the matter.

Rubio was sanctioned by the Chinese government in 2020

After his failed Republican presidential primary in 2016, Rubio rebuilt his image as a populist in Washington. At the same time, he honed his foreign policy credentials as the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, while building relationships within his party across the aisle and all over the world.

He has used his position as the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee to confront China, introducing legislation that would block tax credits for electric vehicle batteries produced using Chinese technology and questioning the director of the FBI on Beijing’s influence on TikTok.

Rubio – who for more than a decade focused on the “China threat” theory – was sanctioned, along with five other US lawmakers, by the Chinese government in 2020 for “misbehaving on related issues in Hong Kong. Now current and former U.S. officials say China will likely have to lift those sanctions in order to deal with it.

“Getting Rubio is worse for China than getting Pompeo,” a former Trump administration official said.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond when asked whether China would lift sanctions currently in place against Rubio if he becomes Trump’s secretary of state.

Rubio, a finalist for Trump’s vice presidential nomination, was a constant on the campaign trail during Trump’s third presidential campaign.

In 2016, the relationship between Rubio and Trump seemed beyond repair when, in the final days of his campaign, Rubio publicly attacked Trump, saying he was not going to “make America great again.” He’s going to turn America orange,” mocking the size of America. Trump and calling him a “crook” seeking to take control of the Republican Party.

But since Rubio and Trump’s relationship has not only thawed, it has also strengthened.

How would the next senator be determined?

Rubio was elected to a six-year term in 2022 and is expected to vacate his seat to serve as secretary of state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis would name Rubio’s successor, who would serve until a special election is held in 2026 to determine who would serve the remaining two years of the term.

The appointee or winner of the special election is expected to win an election in 2028 to serve a full six-year term.

CNN’s Jack Forrest, Lauren Fox and Steve Contorno contributed to this report. WPTV’s Scott Sutton also contributed.

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