Secretary of State Briefly Halts Trump with Scrawled Note on Middle East Peace Deal
A pressing handwritten message passed to Donald Trump by his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, suggested that an announcement regarding a peace agreement in Gaza could be made imminently.
Recorded in a image, the note's text encouraged the president to authorize a post on his Truth Social platform to announce the news before others.
"Very close," the note read, according to the image. "We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first."
Not long after the note was revealed, Trump published on his Truth Social network, stating he was "very proud" to announce the first phase of the deal.
"This indicates that ALL of the Hostages will be released shortly, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an mutually accepted line as the first steps toward a Robust, Durable, and Enduring Peace," he stated.
The Incident the Note Was Handed to Trump
Trump was holding a discussion with right-leaning commentators about antifa when Rubio, positioned in the back corner of the White House's Blue Room, caught his eye.
He had news for Trump, he explained, but it would have to be delayed until after the media left. Then, Rubio handed the president the note.
"I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we're very close to a deal on the Middle East, and they're gonna need me pretty quickly," Trump said. "So we'll take a couple of more questions."
Behind the Scenes of the Peace Talks
The event had already been going on for more than an hour when Rubio first approached. The president invited him to come in, and Rubio quietly spoke something to Trump before giving him the note.
The note's urgent tone came as Trump's key regional advisor, Steve Witkoff, Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other high-ranking diplomats participated in a third round of peace talks between Israel and Hamas at an Red Sea location – a sign that delegates are working to tackle the toughest issues of a US plan to halt hostilities in Gaza.
Trump's Comments on Middle East Travel
Trump had begun the influencer event by informing assembled journalists that he intended to travel to the Middle East "near the conclusion of the week" and could even "make the rounds" in the region to Cairo and perhaps Gaza as US negotiators neared completion of a deal.
Nevertheless, even after Rubio gave Trump the note, Trump kept speaking to the influencers and take questions from the media as the secretary of state became visibly anxious.
Wrapping Up the Event
Nearly 10 minutes after his initial comments about leaving, Trump said: "I must leave now to try and resolve some problems in the Middle East – although I'm very well represented by our secretary of state. He could probably do an even better job than me, but who knows."
"We wish to avoid to take any chances. So we're going to go and do that," Trump continued.
He then proposed that Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem stay and answer inquiries in his stead. However, Trump kept fielding questions before the event finally broke up without Cabinet members remaining behind.
"We're gonna get peace in the Middle East," Trump concluded by saying. "That is exactly what we want to do."