President Donald Trump predicted Monday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be remembered by history as the best to ever hold the position.
Trump heaped heavy praise on Rubio during his speech at the Knesset after the Trump administration brokered the first phase of a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas last week — one of eight significant, or reportedly soon to be significant, conflicts his administration has settled since returning to office. Of course, the Hamas negotiation is the most consequential of the term by far.
“I have a prediction that Marco will go down, I mean this, as the greatest Secretary of State in the history of the United States. I believe that,” Trump said.
Rubio, sitting between Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, reacted with a smile and a laugh.
Trump recalled the days of the 2016 presidential primary a decade ago, in which they competed for the nomination, and the journey of their relationship to the present day.
“He and I, you know, we really fought it out. You remember, he was tough, he was nasty. Who the hell thought this was going to happen, Marco, right?” Trump said, drawing a big laugh from Rubio. “And now I’m saying he’s going to go down as the greatest.”
“He was always smart and sharp, and people respect him,” he added.
On Wednesday, during an Antifa roundtable with independent journalists before the White House press pool, Rubio handed Trump a note emphasizing that the deal was extremely close.
“Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce the deal first,” the note read, according to a photo shared to X by Associated Press Chief Washington Photographer Evan Vucci.
Trump and Rubio had already reached a number of ceasefires and peace deals around the globe before striking the agreement between Israel and Hamas. The administration has settled issues between India and Pakistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, Egypt and Ethiopia, Israel and Iran, Cambodia and Thailand, and, reportedly, prevented what could have been an escalation between Serbia and Kosovo.
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