During a White House roundtable on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed President Donald Trump a note while Attorney General Pam Bondi was speaking. Rubio leaned in and whispered as Bondi finished her answer.
The note, seen by AP photographer Evan Vucci, read: “We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”
Trump read the note and told the media, “OK, I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying, ‘we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East’ and they’re gonna need me pretty quickly.” He answered a few more questions before telling the influencers, “I have to go now to solve some problems in the Middle East.” Rubio stayed behind to handle other questions.
Before posting, Trump had his son-in-law, Jared Kushner and U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff review the Truth Social post. Kushner and Witkoff were in Egypt negotiating the release of hostages held by Hamas and working toward ending the war in Gaza. Kushner may have no official title, but he has been a key player in the talks.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
Two hours later, Trump went live on Truth Social:
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!
This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
The White House shared a photo of Rubio whispering to Trump with the caption, “Iconic.”
This is not the first time Trump has personally approved a Truth Social post. Weeks ago, he accidentally posted a private message meant for Bondi, insisting she prosecute former FBI Director James Comey. The message went out to his 10.8 million followers.
After the error, Trump followed up with another post praising Bondi, calling her work “GREAT.”
Trump’s hands-on approach to social media contrasts with his repeated attacks on Joe Biden for using an autopen. In June, Trump launched two investigations into Biden’s decisions, claiming the autopen may have carried out presidential duties illegally. He even mocked Biden by using a photo of an autopen instead of the president on the new Presidential Walk of Fame.
Trump called it “the biggest scandal maybe in the last 100 years,” saying:
“He didn’t have much of an idea what was going on. He shouldn’t be … I mean, essentially, whoever used the autopen was the president. And that is wrong. It’s illegal, it’s so bad and then it’s so disrespectful to our country.”
Featured image via X screengrab
