Donald Trump singled out Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the person “to blame if anything goes wrong” during his speech to Congress—and Rubio’s shocked reaction was quickly spotted online.
Trump made the jab as he spoke about trying to regain ownership of the Panama Canal, a move which would cause diplomatic shockwaves if it ever really happened.
It was a public taste of the power Trump tries to hold over his cabinet, and came days after Rubio became a meme as he appeared to try to sink into the Oval Office couch as Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukraine’s Volodomyr Zelensky.
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“The Panama Canal was built by Americans for Americans, not for others. But others could use it. But it was built at tremendous cost of American blood and treasure,” Trump said. “It was given away by the Carter administration for one dollar. But that agreement has been violated very severely. We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.”
“And we have Marco Rubio in charge. Good luck, Marco. Now we know who to blame if anything goes wrong,” Trump said, chuckling.
Panama’s president has maintained that the canal is not for sale.
Rubio’s reaction to Trump’s comments were swiftly noted by a number of users online, despite the 53-year-old’s praise of the president shortly after his speech.
Rubio posted on X that the speech was “inspiring” and “momentous.”
Trump “returned to the White House with a clear mandate from the American people to renew the American Dream,” he wrote.
“His address tonight laid out exactly how he is keeping those promises with a vision of peace through strength, and a stronger, safer, and more prosperous United States.”
In his speech, Trump said Rubio “has been amazing and he’s going to do a great job.”
“He has already proven he’s a great gentleman. He is respected by everybody, and we appreciate you voting for Marco. He’s going to do a fantastic job,” Trump said, alluding to Rubio’s confirmation vote being 99 to 0.
