Florida’s Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sailed through his confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, all but assuring he will assume the role of top diplomat under the new Trump administration later this month.

Rubio’s confirmation hearing — a process usually full of verbal diatribes, strong political agendas and illusive answers — was full of pleasantries, with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers applauding his work in the Senate and his in-depth knowledge of complex issues across the globe.

Here were the top moments from Rubio’s hearing.

PROTESTERS

While Rubio may have been welcomed by his Senate colleagues, his hearing wasn’t entirely contention-free.

The Secretary of State-hopeful’s opening remarks were interrupted by several protesters affiliated with a group known as Code Pink, who were protesting the Israel-Hamas war and wore pink shirts that read ‘stop killing the children of Gaza.’

Two of the demonstrators forced to leave the chamber were male, before a female protester also stood up and yelled out in Spanish. 

She was quickly escorted from the room and the hearing promptly restarted.

‘I get bilingual protesters,’ Rubio said to the panel of Senators with a grin before resuming his remarks.

IN JEST

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.

SERIOUS MATTERS

The five-hour hearing wasn’t all fun and laughs, as Rubio was pressed on issues with major security implications like the war in Ukraine, China, NATO and Artic security.

Rubio surprised no one with his tough-on-China approach and his commitment to remaining a strong ally of NATO’s.

Though one area Senators may have hoped Rubio would have come out more definitively was over what continued support for Ukraine may look like and how the incoming Trump administration will handle the question of Ukraine becoming a NATO member. 

Both Ukraine and Russia have signaled they are open to negotiating a ceasefire. But securing a lasting peace deal could be difficult as Ukraine entering the NATO alliance has been deemed a non-negotiable by both Kyiv — who wants the alliance’s security — and Moscow — which has fervently opposed Ukrainian NATO membership.

‘The truth of the matter is that in this conflict there is no way Russia takes all of Ukraine. The Ukrainians are too brave, and fight too hard, and the country is too big,’ he said.

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.’

THE CHINA PROBLEM

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. 

KAINE GUSHES 

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.

Speaker Mike Johnson is replacing Rep. Mike Turner as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee after a debacle that started with a warning about Russian space nuclear technology last year, a source familiar with the decision confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Johnson, R-La., was unhappy with Turner, R-Ohio, after a seemingly unexpected warning he issued about the need to declassify information about Russian anti-satellite technology.

A hawk by nature, Turner sometimes went up against the Trumpist wing of his Republican Party on matters like support for Ukraine aid and Section 702 of FISA. 

The decision to replace Turner took many by surprise. Though Johnson had not officially named him as chairman, Turner attended a dinner of House GOP committee chairs with President-elect Trump over the weekend. 

Rep. Jim Himes, top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told reporters the removal of Turner as chairman ‘sends a shiver down my spine,’ adding that Turner was not the kind to ‘bend the knee’ to Trump. 

Last February, Turner warned of a ‘serious national security threat’ that he was urging President Biden to declassify information on. 

‘I am requesting that President Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat,’ he added.

Johnson was then left to quell the public alarm. 

Johnson said he ‘saw Chairman Turner’s statement on the issue, and I want to assure the American people there’s no need for public alarm.’ 

‘I’m not at liberty to disclose classified information and really can’t say much of that, but we just want to assure everyone, steady hands are at the wheel, we’re working on it. There’s no need for alarm.’ 

In the days that followed, details of the Russian threat soon began to filter through to the press, painting a picture of an adversary capable of disabling U.S. military satellites and other critical space-based infrastructure.

Turner has at times throughout the years been unafraid to stand up to Trump – in September, he criticized the rumors about Haitian migrants eating pets that were amplified  by Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. 

‘This is incredibly tragic and completely untrue. This should not have happened, it’s been tearing the community apart,’ Turner told Jake Tapper at the time.

A Muslim cleric who has praised Iran and refused to call Hezbollah a terrorist organization was reportedly tapped to deliver a benediction at President-elect Trump’s inauguration. 

Husham Al-Husainy is a well-known Iraqi-American imam in Michigan, overseeing the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearborn. Al-Husainy was among a swath of Muslim voters in Michigan who indicated ahead of Election Day that they would support Trump instead of the Democratic Party’s ticket in November.  

‘I lean towards Mr. Trump because I found him closer to the Bible, the Torah, and the Quran. Because I support peace, no war,’ he said back in October, Fox News Digital reported at the time. He added that the country ‘deserves to have a strong leader where he can bring peace in this world.’

Before he indicated support for the former and upcoming president, Al-Husainy reportedly made a series of questionable comments. A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, the Middle East Media and Research Institute, for example, reported this week that the Muslim cleric praised Iran in a 2022 interview.

‘Thank God We Have the Islamic Republic of Iran; Its Light Goes to Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and All Over,’ he said in the interview, the nonprofit posted on X. 

The conservative nonprofit The Middle East Forum described the cleric as a ‘radical antisemitic, pro-Hezbollah Shia imam,’ who reportedly hosted a 2015 rally in Dearborn where he ‘wished death upon Saudi Arabia’ amid the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war. 

In 2007, Al-Husainy joined Fox News’ Sean Hannity on the ‘Hannity & Colmes’ program, where he was pressed on whether he considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The cleric joined the program following his invitation to the DNC’s winter meeting that year to deliver the invocation. 

‘I’ll ask you again. Is Hezbollah – this is a yes or no question. Is Hezbollah a terrorist organization? Yes or no?’ Hannity asked the imam. 

‘Now if – I give you a time to ask me a question. Now give me time to answer it, please,’ Al-Husainy said. 

‘Yes or no?’ Hannity continued. 

‘First of all – first of all, Hezbollah is a Lebanese organization. And I’ve got nothing to do with that. But there is a biblical meaning of Hezbollah. It is in Judaism and Christianity and Islam meaning people of God and that means yes,’ the imam responded. 

Later in the segment, Hannity again asked if Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. 

‘​​This is – your idea of a political or… you know what Hezbollah means? I support the people of God,’ Al-Husainy said. 

The State Department has recognized Hezbollah as a terrorist organization since 1997. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team regarding the invitation and Al-Husainy’s previous comments, but did not receive a reply. 

Matt Foldi, the former congressional candidate and current editor-in-chief of the Washington Reporter, shared a photo on X this week reportedly showing the official program of Inauguration Day, including that Al-Husainy, a Catholic priest, the Rev. Frank Mann, Rabbi Ari Berman and a Detroit pastor, Lorenzo Sewell, are slated to deliver benedictions. 

Fox News Digital also attempted to reach Al-Husainy via the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Dearborn, Michigan, is home to the proportionally largest Muslim population in the U.S. and became the birthplace of the ‘Abandon Biden’ movement last year as Arab voters spoke out about the administration’s handling of the conflict in Gaza. The movement morphed into ‘abandoning’ Vice President Kamala Harris after Biden dropped out of the race in July, and ultimately endorsed Trump on Election Day. 

Muslim voters overall favored Harris by 32 percentage points in the 2024 election. Trump won 32% of their vote, while Harris won 63%. In 2020, Biden had won 64% of the Muslim vote, and Trump had won 35%. Trump faced mixed support from Muslim and Arab American voters, but in swing states like Michigan, their support became especially crucial. 

Arab American voters in Dearborn said following the election that they voted for Trump over Harris in protest of her stance on the Israel-Hamas war. 

‘They didn’t vote for Trump because they believe Trump is the best candidate,’ Arab American News publisher Osama Siblani told Politico in November. ‘No, they voted for Trump because they want to punish the Democrats and Harris.’

Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee contributed to this report. 

Pam Bondi, President-elect Trump’s nominee for attorney general, engaged in a tense exchange with Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday that resulted in praise from conservatives on social media.

‘You have an incoming president who said, ‘I have the absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department,’ and in fact, President-elect Trump considers the DOJ to be his law firm,’ the Hawaii senator said to Bondi on Wednesday. ‘I ask you this: If President-elect Trump asks, suggests or hints that you as attorney general should investigate one of his perceived political enemies, would you do so?’

‘Sen. Hirono, I wish you had met with me. Had you met with me, we could have discussed many things and gotten to –’ Bondi began to respond.

Hirono then interrupted by saying, ‘I am listening to you now, could you please respond to the question?’

‘You were the only one who refused to meet with me but what we would have discussed is that it is the job of the attorney general,’ Bondie said before being interrupted by Hirono again.

‘I’m very happy to listen to your responses under oath, Miss Bondi,’ Hirono said.

‘So I think it’s really important to us that the attorney general be independent of the White House, and you have a president-elect who considers the AG’s office his law firm. I would like to know whether if the president suggests, hints, asks, that you, as attorney general, should investigate one of his perceived enemies.’

Bondi responded, ‘I certainly have not heard the president say that. But what I will tell you is two-thirds of Americans have lost faith in the Department of Justice, and its statements like that, I believe, that make people continue to lose faith.’

Conservatives on social media praised Bondi for her handling of Hirono’s questions.

‘Pam Bondi CLAPS BACK,’ Abigail Jackson, communications director for GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, posted on X.

‘Pam Bondi isn’t playing with these far-left Senators,’ the Media Research Center posted on X.

‘Pam Bondi obliterates Sen. Mazie Hirono for refusing to meet with her,’ conservative commentator Paul Szypula posted on X. ‘This was spectacular.’

‘Common @PamBondi W,’ the Trump War Room posted on X.

‘Imagine thinking Maxie Hirono is qualified to be a U.S. Senator but Pam Bondi isn’t qualified to be U.S. Attorney General lol,’ conservative commentator and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines posted on X. 

Bondi is expected to be confirmed by the Senate, and some have speculated that she will earn some votes from Democrats.