US President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state, The New York Times reported on Monday night.

It quoted three people as saying that the decision is not final, but that Trump appears to have settled on Rubio, a loyalist whom Trump passed over as his vice presidential running mate.

Trump has moved quickly to staff his incoming administration, naming loyalists to several key posts within days of his election victory and signalling his desire to have some seated without a Senate confirmation process.

The staffing picks are the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny, with Trump vowing that his second administration will oversee a radical shake-up of the federal government.

The 78-year-old Republican tycoon said Sunday he would tap hardline immigration official Tom Homan as the country's "border czar," while US media reported the nod for UN ambassador as going to New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a vocal Trump ally.

Stephen Miller, another fierce critic of illegal immigration who served in Trump's first administration, has been tapped for deputy chief of staff.

The picks signal movement on a number of Trump's key campaign messages, with Homan's hardline immigration stance making him a loyal hand in carrying out the incoming president's deportation promises.

Stefanik, who has voiced strong support for Israel, will represent the administration as the UN grapples with the ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Stefanik's nomination would need approval by the Senate, but Trump is hoping to bypass Congress by making appointments while the chamber is in recess.

Another hardliner, Florida congressman Michael Waltz, is reportedly in line to take the crucial National Security Advisor role, according to The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

Trump will not be inaugurated until January, and had previously made one cabinet-level appointment, naming his campaign manager Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, a position that does not require Senate confirmation. (AFP)
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Last updated: 2024-11-12 HKT 11:18