Secretary of State Interrupts Trump with Scrawled Note on Gaza Peace Deal
An urgent handwritten note passed to Donald Trump by his top diplomat, Marco Rubio, suggested that an announcement regarding a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be made very soon.
Captured in a photograph, the note's contents urged the president to approve a post on his social media platform to break the news first.
"Very close," it read, according to the photo. "We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first."
Not long after the note was revealed, Trump posted on his Truth Social network, expressing he was "very proud" to announce the initial stage of the agreement.
"This indicates that ALL of the Hostages will be released shortly, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Robust, Long-lasting, and Enduring Peace," he stated.
The Incident the Note Was Passed to Trump
Trump was conducting a roundtable event with conservative influencers about antifa when Rubio, standing in the back corner of the White House's state room, caught his eye.
He wanted to share an update for Trump, he explained, but it would have to wait until after the media left. Then, Rubio passed the president the note.
"I just received a note by the secretary of state saying that we're very close to a deal on the Middle East, and they're gonna require my input soon," Trump said. "Therefore, we will address a couple of more questions."
Behind the Scenes of the Peace Talks
The meeting had already been going on for more than an hour when Rubio first approached. The president welcomed him to come in, and Rubio whispered something to Trump before giving him the note.
The note's pressing nature came as Trump's key regional advisor, Steve Witkoff, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other senior officials joined a third round of negotiations between Israel and Hamas at an Egyptian resort – a indication that negotiators are working to tackle the toughest issues of a US plan to halt hostilities in Gaza.
Trump's Remarks on Overseas Trip
Trump had begun the gathering by informing the press that he planned to travel to the Middle East "toward the end of the week" and could even "make the rounds" in the region to Egypt 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 Meeting
Nearly 10 minutes after his earlier statement about leaving, Trump declared: "I must leave now to try and solve some problems in the Middle East – although I'm ably assisted by our secretary of state. He could probably do an even better job than me, but who knows."
"We don't want to take any chances. So we're going to go and do that," Trump added.
He then proposed that two attendees stay and take questions in his stead. However, Trump continued to take questions before the event concluded without Cabinet members staying.
"We will achieve peace in the Middle East," Trump concluded by saying. "That is exactly what we want to do."
