Marco Rubio has appointed Nate Hochman, a former speechwriter for Ron DeSantis who was dismissed from the Florida governor’s 2024 presidential campaign in 2023, to a senior role at the US State Department.
Hochman is serving as deputy director of the department’s policy planning office and identifies himself as Rubio’s chief speechwriter, according to documentation reviewed by The New York Times.
The appointment gives Hochman a prominent position advising the Secretary of State on broad foreign policy issues. The policy planning office takes a long-term view of international developments and provides strategic recommendations to the department’s leadership.
Hochman left the DeSantis campaign after promoting a video containing a symbol associated with Nazi Germany and later adopted by white supremacist groups. His dismissal followed public criticism of the material.
He subsequently worked with America 2100, a conservative advocacy group founded by Michael Needham, who previously served as Rubio’s chief of staff when he was a senator and later returned to work at the State Department.
Hochman also served as a policy adviser to Republican Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri before moving into the State Department this year.
A State Department spokesman defended the appointment. Tommy Pigott said Hochman was “a trusted and key member of the department” who had worked tirelessly to advance President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda.
Hochman did not respond to a request for comment about his appointment or his previous dismissal from the DeSantis campaign.
In his new role, he has amplified posts by Rubio and the State Department on X, where he has about 70,000 followers. His profile on the platform does not publicly disclose his employment at the department.
