Secretary of State Marco Rubio filled in for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday, fielding foreign policy questions ranging from Cuba and Iran to the Vatican and more.
The press conference, which lasted approximately an hour, gave the state secretary a chance to speak at length about issues that have fallen away from the international spotlight.
RUBIO: PROJECT FREEDOM IS A ‘DEFENSIVE OPERATION’
Cuba’s ‘incompetent communists’
Rubio, the son of two Cuban immigrants, offered a vicious appraisal of the island nation’s future when asked about the “oil blockade” on Cuba.
He denied the idea of a formal blockade, claiming instead that Venezuela is “not giving [Cuba] free oil anymore.” He shifted the blame instead to deeper problems in how the island is governed.
“Their economic model doesn’t work, and the people in charge can’t fix it,” Rubio told reporters. “And the reason they can’t fix is not just because they’re communists — that’s bad enough, but they’re incompetent communists. The only thing worse than a communist is an incompetent one.”
China messaging on human rights and Taiwan
Rubio was asked at multiple points for insights into President Donald Trump’s upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The state secretary largely demurred on whether the president will bring up human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party.
Advocacy groups have pushed for Trump to hold Xi accountable for the persecution of religious leaders such as pastor Jin Mingri and anti-authoritarian advocates such as the imprisoned Jimmy Lai.
Rubio insisted that the administration “always raises those issues” but that they’ve found it “most effective to raise them in the appropriate setting.”
Regarding discussions of Taiwan, he said he is confident the island territory “will be a topic of conversation” because “it always is.”
“The Chinese understand our position on that topic, we understand theirs,” he said. “Both countries understand that it is in neither one of our interests to see anything destabilized happen in that part of the world.”
RUBIO SLAMS UN INACTION OVER IRAN MINING STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Pope plans
Asked if he is visiting the Holy See this week to make amends over President Donald Trump’s comments against Pope Leo XIV last month, Rubio denied such a characterization.
The state secretary called it a “trip we had planned from before” and insisted “there’s a lot to talk about with the Vatican” outside the White House’s feud with the Holy See.
“We have shared concerns about religious freedom in different parts of the world,” he said. “Cuba — you know, we gave Cuba $6 million in humanitarian aid but obviously they won’t let us distribute it. We distributed it through the Church. We’d love to do more.”
Regarding Trump’s recent claim that the pope is “endangering a lot of Catholics” by opposing the conflict in Iran, Rubio tried to reframe the complaint as bafflement that anyone would be OK with the Iranian regime acquiring a nuclear weapon.
‘Easy way’ or ‘hard way’ on Iran
Rubio spoke at length about various aspects of Project Freedom and the wider war against Iran.
He emphasized to the press that operations in the region are defensive in nature, suggesting that maneuvers such as barricading the Strait of Hormuz are simply a response to the Islamic Republic’s attempts to extort tolls for ships to pass.
The secretary explained that the vision for Project Freedom is a “bubble” of safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz protected by U.S. naval and air forces. He emphasized that it will “take time” to “set up that bubble and gain that confidence.”
“It really is important for them to understand this … they really shouldn’t test the will of the United States, at least not under President Donald Trump,” Rubio warned. “He has proven time and again that he will back up what he says, and if they test him, ultimately they will lose — the hard way, the easy way, the long way, the short way. They will lose.”
Regarding the War Powers Act and the eventual demands from Congress for Trump to cease operations in the region pending legislative approval, Rubio paused the conference for emphasis.
“I love it. I was hoping someone would ask,” he said to open his response, before asserting that his track record on this issue has not changed since he was a senator.
“The War Powers Act is unconstitutional, 100%,” he said. “This is not the position of me, not the position of the president of the United States now. This is the position of every single president that has occupied this position since the day that law passed. It’s completely unconstitutional.”
No comment on midterms
Rubio refused to answer a reporter’s question on whether the skyrocketing gas prices amid the Strait of Hormuz closure will affect Republicans’ chances in the midterm elections.
“I’m not going to speculate on the politics of it,” Rubio replied, only suggesting that the U.S. is doing well at the pump compared to “countries in other parts of the world that are suffering.”
He added: “We’re more insulated than other countries, even though that’s not welcome news to Americans who are paying more at the pump, no doubt about it.”
You’re not ready for my DJ name
The one question that seemed to genuinely catch the state secretary off guard was a joke about a recent video of him DJing at a family wedding.
Asked by a reporter for his “DJ name,” Rubio asked, “My DJ name?”, visibly unprepared for the question. “You’re not ready for my DJ name.”
He held an awkward smile until the reporter offered an alternative question about Iran, instantly relaxing the state secretary’s demeanor.