A combative Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, found himself on the defensive during a hearing of a U.S. Senate committee.
He pushed back against the notion that he mishandled matters by attending a UFC fight in Miami alongside President Donald Trump in April, while delicate talks with Iranian officials were taking place halfway around the world in Pakistan.
On June 2, members of Congress pressed Rubio about Trump’s surprise strike against the Islamic regime more than three months earlier. Nevada Democrat Sen. Jack Rosen grilled Rubio about why he appeared at a Florida sporting event during negotiations of such importance.
“With the remainder of my time, I’d like to remind the American people that as the Secretary of State, your primary duty as the nation’s top diplomat is to preserve our relations with foreign governments, Rosen stated. “That’s why I was stunned to see you at a gathering with President Trump in Miami instead of joining Vice President JD Vance in Pakistan for the negotiations with —” and here Rubio cut in, “What gathering was I at? I was at a gathering?”
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Rosen clarified, “It was publicly reported, and there are photos to prove it,” as the secretary of state insisted he had not.
“Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, neither of whom were ever confirmed by this body to serve as America’s diplomats, joined the vice president for the negotiations. Even Iran’s foreign minister … was present, pardon me, and you were not. I find that situation embarrassing for us, and embarrassing for you,” Rosen calmly pressed Rubio.
Yet she pressed on.
“So, Mr. Secretary, Congress represents the American people. We hold the power to confirm who represents America abroad. We confirm you as our Secretary of State, and you are part of the negotiations taking place, and it’s unthinkable to me that you would not be.” You are part of the negotiations that are ongoing, and it’s essential you are present. You are in the thick of high-stakes talks,” she emphasized.
An infuriated Rubio erupted, denying her accusations. He stressed that he was not at a party. Yet multiple photos circulating online show the former senator socializing with Trump on the night of April 12 at UFC 327. He was at the Kaseya Center in Miami as U.S. negotiators sought to secure a peace accord with Tehran in Pakistan.
“You’re completely wrong and completely mistaken,” a defiant Rubio asserted.
“I wasn’t at a party. I was standing beside the president,” Rubio proclaimed, raising his voice and visibly heated.
“Because amid those negotiations, I was in contact with them. In fact, there were reports that I moved between locations, slipped into a back room, returned, and kept the president updated continually.”
Then Rubio snapped at Rosen, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He proceeded to suggest she was probing him merely to craft “some cute TikTok moment.” “But that isn’t true, and it doesn’t reflect reality.”
“That’s not what happened,” he insisted before reminding Rosen who he was.
“Okay, I’m the national security adviser and the secretary of state. I was co-located with the President amid a high-stakes negotiation, so I could immediately inform him of events unfolding halfway around the world. I was exactly where he needed me to be at that time,” Rubio repeated with vigor.
Critics question why Rubio would have been at a fight instead of overseeing the Iran peace talks. As the nation’s chief diplomat, he is responsible for managing foreign affairs, including negotiating treaties and agreements.
Social media weighed in on the heated hearing and Rubio’s remarks.
“Little Marco Rubio ‘co-located’ with the president at UFC,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter).
Others suggested he looked as if he had been drinking.
“If memory serves, Rubio appeared clearly intoxicated that night. A lot of the top people in Trump’s camp could benefit from help for substance abuse,” stated poster Phyllis Wood.
X user VJ Cambridge concurred, “Rubio looks like a happy drunk.”
One sharp-witted user on X offered: “Trump’s strange fascination with UFC led Rubio to be there. Both he and Trump should have been in the White House, conducting their duties.”
Trump had launched a surprise, unapproved strike against Iran on Feb. 28. The peace talks have stalled for two months, with Tehran threatening to halt negotiations and close the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The attack on Tehran has wounded hundreds more people and driven gas prices up by roughly half, while more than a dozen Americans have lost their lives.
