FLATTERY FAIL

Trump Snaps at Little Marco for Not Sucking Up Hard Enough

Marco Rubio lowballed the president with his praise.

Marco Rubio caught heat from his boss, Donald Trump, for failing to lavish him with enough praise over the Israel–Gaza ceasefire.

The secretary of state had joined Trump and senior aides Monday at a peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, hosted by Egyptian strongman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

“This is clearly in my mind, I think in the mind of everyone in this room, it is probably one of the most important days for world peace in 50 years. That’s not an exaggeration,” Rubio said.

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“Only 50?” Trump interjected.

Rubio quickly readjusted. “Maybe 100.”

“Certainly since the end of World War Two,” he caveated, skipping over the myriad global conflicts around the world in the 80 years since then.

Earlier that day, celebrations had erupted in Israel and Gaza to mark the latest ceasefire in two brutal years of fighting.

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It saw all 20 surviving Israeli hostages freed by Hamas. Israel also released over 1,700 Palestinian detainees.

The deal struck was the culmination of a plan proposed by Trump after months of failed attempts to find a route to end the bloodshed.

It also includes the repatriation of the remains of 28 dead hostages.

Their return would mark a significant step towards lasting peace, ending what has been the bloodiest era in the long-running conflict.

The day hadn’t been all smooth for Trump. During the speeches in Israel, Trump had moaned that other leaders had taken too long with their words.

“You’ve kept me quite late between opposition leaders and Bibi’s brilliant but very long speech,” he said to a room full of Israeli politicians.

“I thought I was going to run up here, make a speech, and then head to Egypt. It didn’t work out that way. And you made a pretty long one too, sir,” he said, apparently pointing to Ron Dermer, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister.

Trump also appeared to try to get to the podium to speak too early. Amir Ohana, the Knesset’s speaker, had to politely remind him that opposition leader Yair Lapid was up next.

During the day’s proceedings, Trump had heaped praise on Rubio.

“Marco will go down—I mean this—as the greatest secretary of state in the history of the United States. I believe that—I believe it,” he said.

It hasn’t always been this way. It comes in contrast to the tension between the two men during the 2016 presidential election, where Trump dubbed him “little Marco.”

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Harry ThompsonNews Reporter

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