Rubio leads White House briefing, earns viral praise before Italy trip

Secretary of State Marco Rubio previewed a high-profile trip to Rome from the White House briefing room on Tuesday, issuing stern warnings to Iran and demonstrating an easy command of the podium that drew praise from conservative allies online.

“It’s not based on anything other than the fact that this trip is going to be normal for us, and other Secretaries of State have done that in the past,” Rubio said at a White House news conference Tuesday during a trip to Italy. he said.

The briefing came two days before Rubio is due to visit the Vatican and Italy for meetings between President Donald Trump, Pope Leo and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni amid rising tensions over the U.S.-Iran conflict. Rubio used the briefing to defend the administration’s stance on Tehran, downplay the timing of his visit to Italy and signal that Washington is not backing down from its pressure campaign.

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“Message to Iran… these guys are facing real disaster to their economy, generational destruction to their economy, generational destruction to the wealth of their country because of their actions,” Iran’s Rubio said Tuesday.

“They should check themselves before they destroy themselves in the direction they’re going,” Rubio said, referencing Ice Cube’s rap song “Check Yo Self.”

Rubio, a Catholic, is expected to meet with Pope Leo on Thursday morning, at a time when the pontiff has criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to broker Middle East peace.

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“There is also this threat against the entire Iranian people, and it is truly unacceptable,” the Pope said in April. he said. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but more importantly there is a moral issue for the good of the entire population.”

Rubio emphasized that the move to provide military support to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz near Iran was a “defense operation” and said that the USA would only open fire if it was fired upon. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The comments were apparently a reference to one of Trump’s Truth Social posts: “Tonight an entire civilization will die and never be brought back. I don’t want it to happen but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he had only one message for the Pope.

“From the pope’s point of view, I would say it’s very simple. Whether I make him happy or not, Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. He seems to be saying that it might. And I say they can’t, because if that happens, the whole world will be held hostage. And we will not allow that,” he said.

The Vatican announced that President Trump will not participate in the Gaza rescue board. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Rubio will also meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is estranged from the United States amid growing domestic and political pressure over the growing Middle East conflict.

The meeting comes as President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on NATO allies to align with the United States against Iran, including ordering the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany; This decline is expected to occur within the next six to 12 months.

Rubio will travel to Italy on Wednesday to meet with Pope Leo and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. (Maria Grazia Picciarella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Meloni said Tuesday that he would not support any effort to reduce the U.S. military presence in Italy, contrasting Trump’s broader push to redeploy American forces in Europe.

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Italy remains a major U.S. security hub in Europe, hosting nearly 13,000 active-duty American troops at six bases by the end of 2025.

Rubio is making his way to high-profile gatherings of social media commentators and conservative leaders fresh off applauding how successfully Karoline Leavitt has been behind the podium after taking maternity leave late last month. The secretary joked with reporters, fielded questions in multiple languages ​​and issued stern warnings against Iran, giving supporters a glimpse of the presence he will likely bring to his trip to Rome.

“Marco Rubio is showing the nation and the world things we have known about him for decades,” Republican Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez said on X.

“President Trump made an EXCELLENT choice with her. He proves it every day.” added.