A rambling Donald Trump let slip why he humiliated his secretary of state on live TV.
The president, 79, welcomed the Inter Miami soccer team to the White House on Thursday, though he admitted he forgot they were coming. “I got a lot of things going on,” he quipped, appearing to reference the war he started in Iran, in which more than 1,000 people have already been killed.
Trump soon began rambling about his needless conflict in front of the soccer stars. “The United States military, together with the wonderful Israeli partners, continues to totally demolish the enemy, far ahead of schedule and at levels that people have never seen before,” he declared.
He then turned his attention to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Introducing the “proud Miami sports fan,” he said, “I’m telling you, he’s going to go down as the best secretary of state in the country’s history, Marco Rubio.”
As applause rippled, Trump could be heard showing anxiety about just how popular the 54-year-old is. “I don’t want him to get too popular. It’s true,” he muttered.
But as the applause subsided, Trump thundered, “I don’t want him to get too popular!”
He continued: “You know, when they get too popular all of a sudden, you see, ‘Where’s Marco? He’s not around anymore. I don’t see him!’ He’s doing some job.”
He then switched to “soccer-slash-football,” mixing both the domestic and international terms for the game. He showed off his soccer chops, recalling the New York Cosmos, a now-defunct club that once boasted Brazilian legend Pelé among its roster.
“Who’s better, him or Pelé?” Trump joshed, pointing to Lionel Messi, the Argentine forward, widely considered one of the sport’s best-ever players.
Trump admitted that he had no idea that one of the greatest soccer players ever was coming until his son told Barron, 19, him.
“It’s my distinct privilege to say what no American president has ever had the chance to say before: Welcome to the White House, Lionel Messi,” Trump said of the diminutive former Barcelona star.
However, Trump seemed more enamoured with his teammates. Recalling a goal scored by Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez, he turned to the roster and shook his hand. Turning back to the audience, he declared, “These are a good-looking people. Marco, I don’t like good-looking men,” he said.
“You don’t feel so good about yourself standing up here. Good-looking people,” he added.
A lot of Trump’s speeches seem to deviate into rambling about people’s looks. Just two weeks ago, during a Board of Peace meeting that was ostensibly about maintaining the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, Trump declared his disdain for handsome men.
During the Feb. 19 meeting, Trump thanked the president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, for attending. “President, thank you very much,” he said. “Young, handsome guy. It’s always nice to be young and handsome.”
“Doesn’t mean we have to like you,” he continued. “I don’t like young, handsome men.”
“Women? That I like. Men, no… I don’t have any interest,” he added.
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