Trump 'shocks' Rubio with resignation talk: Sarcasm or threat?
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump jokingly said that he wanted to fire Marco Rubio after his sharp speech at the Munich Security Conference, where Rubio criticized allies and past mistakes, according to a report in The Hill.
During a meeting of the Peace Council on Gaza, Trump publicly addressed Rubio, hinting that he had become too popular in Germany. The president wryly noted that the senator seemed extremely pleased with himself after the speech.
“Marco, please don’t do anything better than what you’ve already done. Because if you do, you’ll disappear from here,” Trump said, eliciting laughter from those present and using his signature sarcasm.
Why Rubio “alarmed” the White House with his success
The reaction stemmed from the unprecedented reception Rubio received in Munich. Despite sharply criticizing Europeans for past mistakes and excessive focus on green energy, the audience gave him a standing ovation.
Key points of the dangerously successful speech:
- The failure of liberalism: Rubio called the belief that the world would become fully democratic after the fall of the Berlin Wall an illusion.
- Priority of sovereignty: He urged allies to return to realpolitik and focus on defending national interests rather than global doctrines.
- Contrast with Pence: Rubio’s speech appeared far more effective than last year’s cold reception of Vice President JD Vance.
Experts speculate whether Trump’s comments were just friendly teasing or a genuine reminder to his team that the administration’s main star is him. Given that Rubio successfully sold Trump’s ideas to European audiences — leaving them impressed — the secretary of state had become an unusually prominent figure on the international stage.
