WASHINGTON—The United States will formally shutter an office formerly used to censor the American people, The Daily Wire can first report, as well as any instruments and processes associated with the office that were implemented under President Joe Biden.
The State Department’s Office of Public Diplomacy will officially dismantle the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference framework today, Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Darren Beattie shared with The Daily Wire in a Tuesday interview.
The framework, formerly known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC), was created to supposedly counter messaging spread by foreign actors, like violent terrorists abroad.
Instead, the GEC worked to suppress speech from American platforms, including The Daily Wire. The State Department has found that the framework “devolved into tools for political censorship instead of protecting Americans from foreign adversarial propaganda.”
The Daily Wire, The Federalist, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daily-wire-texas-ag-ask-court-to-block-state-departments-domestic-misinformation-efforts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued the Biden State Department</a> in February 2024 over GEC’s relationship with “anti-misinformation” outfits like NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), alleging that those groups were focused on suppressing American conservative media.
Beattie’s seat was formerly occupied by the architect of the Global Engagement Center, Richard Stengel, known for his views on moderating the First Amendment. Beattie told The Daily Wire that he finds it satisfying and appropriate that all the tools used in the context of his office are being dismantled within the same office, with a view toward both advancing free speech and centering on free speech once again.
<div id="attachment_973145" style="width: 728px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-state-department-puts-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-biden-era-censorship-framework/care-impact-awards-2024" target="_blank" rel="attachment noopener wp-att-973145"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-973145" class="wp-image-973145 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2180125218-718x576.jpg" alt="" width="718" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2180125218-718x576.jpg 718w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2180125218-300x241.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2180125218-768x617.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2180125218.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px" /></a>NEW YORK, NEW YORK &#8211; OCTOBER 21: Rick Stengel (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for CARE)</div>
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had directed the closure of the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office in April, but as of Tuesday, the State Department stopped all frameworks and tools related to the framework used by the Biden administration, a final step in the office’s demise.
Its closure, the State Department says, aligns with President Donald Trump’s January 20 Executive Order on Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship, prohibiting federal censorship and promoting freedom of expression.
Beattie shared on Tuesday that there were some “loose ends” to tie up after Rubio’s April closure of the former GEC. One such loose end was that the GEC undertook a number of agreements with varying degrees of formality with other countries to “facilitate and provide a framework for cooperation on mutual objectives, including principally combating so-called ‘disinformation.’” That was particularly problematic since the GEC was often directly appealing to tech companies to censor such disinformation — “and famously a lot of the names that they submitted to tech companies weren’t even foreign,” he explained.
In fact, Beattie argued, many times when officials would submit names to Twitter, now known as X, they would encourage censorship of an individual and then be told by Twitter, “Hey, this isn&#8217;t some, Chinese group, this isn&#8217;t some Russian group. This was Bob from Minnesota. What are you talking about?”
“This came out in numerous instances in the Twitter files and, on other occasions,” he explained. “And so the GEC would do that, but they would also have an indirect approach to censorship whereby they would fund third-party organizations that would engage in activity from facilitating the demonetization of conservative sites to generally castigating certain narrative perspectives on COVID, on immigration, on foreign policy, as simply malign as a matter of foreign influence when in fact these were entirely legitimate points of view that often came from Americans.”
Beattie also told The Daily Wire that his office is conducting “an extremely laborious, comprehensive, meticulous transparency review.” The results of that review, or at least, the “very first tranche” of it, will come out within the next few weeks.
That review will “reflect the extensive review of hundreds of thousands of emails that will more specifically and systematically document exactly the kinds of nefarious activities that the GEC was involved in in this unfortunate chapter of America’s history,” he shared.
Asked how these files will be rolled out, and whether the information would be shared with the public in a manner similar to that of the “Twitter Files,” published by a group of journalists, including Matt Taibbi, Bari Weiss, Lee Fang, and Michael Shellenberger, Beattie said the release of the review will be “extremely deliberate and appropriate.”
“I think we’re very well aware of how the first kind of tranche came out with the Twitter files, and I think you’ll find our approach to the release of these materials to be entirely appropriate and very satisfying as well,” he shared.
Brent Scher contributed to this report.

Secretary Of State Rubio Meets With Norwegian Foreign Minister In Washington

EXCLUSIVE: State Department Puts Final Nail In The Coffin Of Biden-Era Censorship Framework

Joe Biden

Marco Rubio

State Department

The FBI broadens its investigation into Charlie Kirk’s assassination, New York mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani scores a major endorsement, and the White House threatens Brazil after its Supreme Court sentences the “Trump of the Tropics.”
It’s Tuesday, September 16, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="FBI Expands Kirk Case &amp; Hochul Endorses Mamdani" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pzEkbjmerVg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fbi-expands-kirk-case-hochul-endorses-mamdani-9-16-25/id1576594336?i=1000727020556" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;">FBI Probes Larger Plot In Kirk Assassination</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-972675 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></div>
Topline: As conservatives rally following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the FBI says it’s investigating radical left-wing groups for potential ties to the killer. 
Among those being investigated is the far-left pro-transgender group Armed Queers Salt Lake City. It deleted its Instagram account shortly after the shooting, but a membership form online listed its core principles, which included “the armed and militant protection of queer and trans communities,” “trans liberation,” and an “organized revolutionary movement.”
The Bureau is also investigating a number of social media accounts that seemingly displayed foreknowledge of the assassination. In one instance, a leftist X user wrote a week before Kirk’s killing: “it’d be funny if someone like Charlie Kirk got shot on September 10th.” According to FBI Director Kash Patel, suspected assassin Tyler Robinson told at least one person beforehand what he planned on doing.
What they’re saying: White House Deputy Chief Stephen Miller vowed to channel his “righteous anger” to go after “networks” of leftists in a special edition of The Charlie Kirk Show hosted by Vice President JD Vance on Monday.
“It is a vast domestic terror movement, and with God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have&#8230; throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and destroy these networks&#8230; and we will do it in Charlie’s name,” Miller <a href="https://x.com/avaricum777/status/1967627688711250054">said</a>.
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Establishment Dems Begin To Fall In Line With Mamdani</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-972677 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></div>
Topline: New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul has endorsed far-left NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a sign that the Democratic Party establishment is moving behind the 33-year-old radical.
Hochul notably kept her distance from him during the New York City mayoral primary – Mamdani is an open democratic socialist and has some extremely far-left ideas, including the establishment of <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/05/us-news/socialist-nyc-mayoral-candidates-city-run-supermarket-plan-under-fire/">government-run grocery stores</a>. But Hochul’s flip could draw other prominent Democratic leaders into Mamdani’s camp.
Hochul said in an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/opinion/hochul-endorsement-mamdani.html">op-ed</a> in The New York Times that she’s backing Mamdani because of his focus on “affordability” and resisting President Donald Trump.
Step back: Mamdani is favored to be New York City’s next mayor, barring some major shakeup – so Hochul will likely have to work with him. She is also running for re-election in 2026, but is so disliked by folks in the NYC suburbs and most of upstate New York that some politicos <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/09/14/us-news/ny-gov-kathy-hochul-expected-to-endorse-zohran-mamdani-this-week-sources/">believe</a> she’s trying to lean harder on the urban vote, where Mamdani has strong support.
Trump weighs in: On the heels of Hochul’s endorsement, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115207991871277413">labeled</a> Mamdani the “‘Liddle’ Communist” and described his frontrunner status as a “rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City.”
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Lengthy Prison Sentence For Jair Bolsonaro Strains U.S.-Brazil Relations</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-972679 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></div>
Topline: After a two-week public trial, Brazil’s five Supreme Court justices sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison after he was found guilty of an attempted coup. The Trump administration is now threatening severe consequences.
Expert opines: Andres Martinez-Fernandez, senior policy analyst for Latin America at The Heritage Foundation: “This is a case which has a lot of question marks around it, and particularly with this sentencing, which is dramatic, over 25 years, for this person who just a few years ago was occupying the top office in Brazil, is very controversial at the moment. So a lot of Congress in Brazil and others are exploring very actively the need to take action to bypass this sentencing.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in response to the ruling that the United States would “respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”
Martinez-Fernandez: “There&#8217;s a disconnect, I think, that a lot of people see, and this administration certainly sees, between the pursuit of justice and the political priorities that we see the supreme court in Brazil pursuing … and that’s what the administration is really seeking to counter, leveraging the United States&#8217; economic heft and influence in that country. But, it&#8217;s clearly going to be a very significant challenge here.”

Morning Brief: Kirk Probe Expands, Hochul Backs Socialist Mamdani & U.S. Rips Bolsonaro Sentence

Morning Brief: FBI’s Kirk Probe Widens, Hochul Backs Mamdani, U.S. Rips Bolsonaro Prison Sentence

Brazil

Charlie Kirk

Jair Bolsonaro

Kathy Hochul

Media

Morning Wire

New York City

Politics

United States

Zohran Mamdani

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky&#8217;s chief of staff discussed Russian strikes on Ukrainian targets with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday and told him a government building that came under attack on Sunday was hit by a Russian ballistic missile.
Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, writing on Telegram, also said he and Rubio discussed U.S. military aid for Ukraine, security guarantees for Ukraine that have been under discussion with Kyiv&#8217;s allies, and increased pressure on Russia.
&#8220;I informed him of the constant Russian strikes that attack our cities, our residential buildings with drones and missiles,&#8221; Yermak wrote.
&#8220;They kill civilians and children, destroy our infrastructure. For the first time, the enemy attacked the Ukrainian Government building &#8211; the strike was carried out by an Iskander ballistic missile.&#8221;
In a separate post, Yermak said he had held a video conference with the national security advisers of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy.
He said the discussion was a continuation of a meeting in Paris last week with Ukrainian allies within the Coalition of the Willing and said &#8220;a further strengthening of Ukraine&#8217;s positions in confronting Russian aggression is necessary.&#8221;
The European Union&#8217;s top sanctions official was in Washington with a team of experts to discuss what would be the first coordinated transatlantic measures against Russia since President Donald Trump returned to office.
On Sunday, after the war&#8217;s biggest air attack set fire to a government building in Kyiv, Trump said he was ready to move to a second phase of restrictions.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Chris Reese, Rod Nickel)

View shows Ukrainian government headquarters building damaged during a Russian drone and missile strike in Kyiv

Rubio Meets With Zelensky’s Chief Of Staff To Discuss Recent Russian Strikes

Russia

Ukraine

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

Vice President JD Vance on Saturday bluntly defended the Trump administration&#8217;s recent targeted U.S. Military strike of Tren de Aragua cartel drug smugglers.
&#8220;Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military,&#8221; Vance posted to X.
Far-Left social media activist Brian Krassenstein replied to Vance, &#8220;Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime.&#8221;
&#8220;I don’t give a s*** what you call it,&#8221; the VP bluntly responded. The response, only posted hours ago, already has over 1.3 million views.
<div id="attachment_969361" style="width: 895px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-969361" class="wp-image-969361 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-06-at-1.29.38-PM-885x576.png" alt="" width="885" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-06-at-1.29.38-PM-885x576.png 885w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-06-at-1.29.38-PM-300x195.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-06-at-1.29.38-PM-768x500.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-06-at-1.29.38-PM.png 1164w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px" />Screenshot: X</div>
Vance later doubled-down, mockingly posting, &#8220;Democrats: let’s send your kids to die in Russia. Republicans: actually let’s protect our people from the scum of the earth.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
Democrats: let’s send your kids to die in Russia.
Republicans: actually let’s protect our people from the scum of the earth.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1964341366298660905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
This is certainly not the first time Vance has been blunt in his response to Left-wing defenses of apparent criminals. Vance notably went viral back in January when CBS anchor Margaret Brennan tried to argue about when exactly an Afghan national who was plotting a terror attack in the U.S. was radicalized. “I don’t really care, Margaret,” Vance memorably interrupted her argument.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
“I don&#8217;t really care, Margaret.“
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
<a href="https://t.co/qpAKCxDalh">pic.twitter.com/qpAKCxDalh</a>
— Ginny Robinson (@ImGinnyRobinson) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImGinnyRobinson/status/1883627417744625731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of Americans have suffered synthetic opioid-related deaths. During the open-border Biden era, tens of thousands of pounds of fentanyl were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). It&#8217;s unclear how much fentanyl made it into the U.S. illegally. Trump&#8217;s administration has not only closed the border and started deporting illegals, but they are being proactive with cartel members.
This past week, as referenced by Vance, Trump posted a video of the military strike against Tren de Aragua members in the Caribbean Sea. As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-drone-strikes-cartel-drug-boat-trump-posts-video-for-world-to-see-beware">The Daily Wire</a>, the strike took place in international waters and killed nearly a dozen terrorist cartel members carrying illicit drugs, according to Trump.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/vEVGYVgLAg">pic.twitter.com/vEVGYVgLAg</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1962990388211228951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
Additionally, Trump’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-drone-strikes-cartel-drug-boat-trump-posts-video-for-world-to-see-beware?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=U.S.+Drone+Strikes+Cartel+Drug+Boat%2C+Trump+Posts+Video+For+World+To+See%3A+%E2%80%98BEWARE%21%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strikes</a> against drug cartels are only getting started, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio said on Wednesday that the Trump administration would no longer rely on stopping drug runners when they arrive on U.S. soil, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blow-them-up-rubio-says-trump-will-direct-more-strikes-against-narco-terrorists">The Daily Wire</a> reported. Instead, the United States will take out cartel members before they reach the country to spread their “poison.”
“Interdiction doesn’t work because these drug cartels — what they do is they know they’re going to lose 2% of their cargo. They bake it into their economics,” Rubio said. “What will stop them is when you blow them up. You get rid of them.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-drone-strikes-cartel-drug-boat-trump-posts-video-for-world-to-see-beware">U.S. Drone Strikes Cartel Drug Boat, Trump Posts Video For World To See: ‘BEWARE!’</a>

US-VOTE-POLITICS-DEBATE-VANCE-WALZ

‘I Don’t Give A S***’: Vance Goes Viral With Defense Of Cartel Strike

Donald Trump

Drug Cartels

Fentanyl

Illegal Immigration

JD Vance

Tren De Aragua

Venezuela

President Donald Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-drone-strikes-cartel-drug-boat-trump-posts-video-for-world-to-see-beware?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=U.S.+Drone+Strikes+Cartel+Drug+Boat%2C+Trump+Posts+Video+For+World+To+See%3A+%E2%80%98BEWARE%21%E2%80%99">strikes</a> against drug cartels are only getting started, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio said on Wednesday that the Trump administration would no longer rely on stopping drug runners when they arrive on U.S. soil. Instead, the United States will take out cartel members before they reach the country to spread their &#8220;poison.&#8221;
&#8220;Interdiction doesn&#8217;t work because these drug cartels — what they do is they know they&#8217;re going to lose 2% of their cargo. They bake it into their economics,&#8221; Rubio said. &#8220;What will stop them is when you blow them up. You get rid of them.&#8221;
Rubio made the comments while speaking at a press conference in Mexico as he met with leaders to <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1963007877628756258">discuss</a> &#8220;strengthening cooperation on illegal immigration and countering transnational crime and terrorism in our region.&#8221;
The Secretary of State added that before the United States launched a strike on drug smugglers with the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, U.S. intelligence determined that the drug boat was on its way to the United States.
&#8220;Instead of interdicting it, on the president&#8217;s orders, we blew it up, and it will happen again. Maybe it&#8217;s happening right now, I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; Rubio said. &#8220;But the point is, the president of the United States is going to wage war on narco terrorist organizations. This one was operating in international waters, heading toward the United States to flood our country with poison. And under President Trump, those days are over.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BREAKING:
Rubio says interdiction drug cartel boats isn’t enough. What works is to blow them up.
He says the U.S. is now waging war on narco-terrorist organizations and will blow up more such boats 🇺🇸🇻🇪 <a href="https://t.co/Zl4KHfTe18">pic.twitter.com/Zl4KHfTe18</a>
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) <a href="https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1963316016630698391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump announced on Tuesday that the &#8220;U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.&#8221; The president also posted a video of the strike, which he said resulted in the deaths of 11 drug smugglers while no U.S. service members were harmed.
&#8220;Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!&#8221; Trump added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/vEVGYVgLAg">pic.twitter.com/vEVGYVgLAg</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1962990388211228951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Last month, Trump ordered U.S. forces to be deployed to the Southern Caribbean Sea — near Venezuela — to take on the drug cartel. Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maduro-accuses-u-s-of-seeking-a-regime-change-after-trump-deploys-military-to-south-caribbean">accused</a> the United States of &#8220;seeking a regime change&#8221; with its latest military movements. Maduro added that Trump&#8217;s decision marked “the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years.”
Maduro, a socialist who remained in power in an election that appeared to be rigged in his favor, has a $50 million bounty placed on him by the U.S. government, citing his ties to drug cartels.

Secretary Marco Rubio

‘Blow Them Up’: Rubio Says Trump Will Direct More Strikes Against Narco Terrorists

Trump Administration

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday afternoon that American forces had taken out a “drug-carrying boat” coming out of Venezuela.
Trump made the comments during a press conference from the White House announcing that Space Command will be moving its headquarters from Colorado to Alabama. He said that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had briefed him just before the press conference.
“When you come out and when you leave the room, you’ll see that we just, over the last few minutes literally, shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat. And you’ll be seeing that, and you’ll be reading about that,” Trump said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: We just, over the last few minutes, shot out a drug-carrying boat&#8230; and there&#8217;s more where that came from&#8230; These came out of Venezuela. <a href="https://t.co/JlurCZWBpG">pic.twitter.com/JlurCZWBpG</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1962955342523879613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“It just happened moments ago and our great general, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has been so incredible, including what took place in Iran knocking out potential nuclear power for a long time to come … he gave us a little bit of a briefing. And you’ll see. There&#8217;s more where that came from. We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country. Coming in for a long time,” he added.
He said that the boat came out of Venezuela. “We took it out and you’ll get to see that after this meeting is over,” Trump said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the strike in a post on X.
“As [Trump] just announced moments ago, today the U.S. military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization,” Rubio posted on X.
The strike comes as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maduro-accuses-u-s-of-seeking-a-regime-change-after-trump-deploys-military-to-south-caribbean">tensions have been rising</a> between Trump and Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Last month, Trump directed the Pentagon to deploy U.S. troops and warships to address “threats to U.S. national security from specially designated narco-terrorist organizations in the region,” according to Reuters.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro and his government of taking part in massive drug trafficking operations that smuggle narcotics into the United States. The government recently increased the bounty on Maduro to $50 million, citing his alleged ties to transnational gangs and drug cartels.

President Trump Makes Announcement In The Oval Office Of The White House

Trump Says Military Took Out Venezuelan Boat Carrying ‘A Lot Of Drugs’

Global Politics

Nicolas Maduro

U.S. Military

World

President Donald Trump moved to cut another $4.9 billion in foreign aid spending through an executive maneuver last used nearly 50 years ago. 
In a Thursday letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), which was posted on social media on Friday, Trump stated that he is clawing back funding from programs run by the State Department, the United States Agency for International Development, and International Assistance Programs. Much of the funding is related to programs pushing climate and gender activism. 
The cuts will be carried out through a pocket rescission—a process allowing the president to revoke previously approved spending just before the fiscal year ends, leaving Congress no time to reauthorize the funds under federal law. Any future funding would require separate congressional approval.
On a background call with The Daily Wire, a White House official said a pocket rescission was a tool that the Trump administration had “dusted off.”
“Last night, President Trump CANCELLED $4.9 billion in America Last foreign aid using a pocket rescission,” the Office of Management and Budget posted on X on Friday. “[President Trump] will always put AMERICA FIRST!”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 Last night, President Trump CANCELLED $4.9 billion in America Last foreign aid using a pocket rescission.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> will always put AMERICA FIRST! <a href="https://t.co/1DvXYGdy3B">pic.twitter.com/1DvXYGdy3B</a>
— Office of Management and Budget (@WHOMB) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHOMB/status/1961410044907458780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Secretary of State Marco Rubio applauded the move from Trump. 
“Since assuming office, President Trump has been committed to rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse from the U.S. government, saving American workers billions of dollars,” Rubio said. “Now, for the first time in 50 years, the President is using his authority under the Impoundment Control Act to deploy a pocket rescission, cancelling $5 billion in foreign aid and international organization funding that violates the President’s America First priorities.”
Rubio said that some of the programs that were cancelled included $2.7 million for “inclusive democracy” in South Africa and $4 million for “global LGBTQI+ awareness” 
“None of these programs are in America’s interest, which is why the President is taking decisive action to put America and Americans first,” Rubio said. 
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
A White House official added that the cuts also included hundreds of millions of dollars in climate projects, such as building a greenhouse gas calculator, promoting vegan food in Zambia, developing insect powder for children in Madagascar, and purchasing electric buses in Rwanda.
There is an ongoing legal battle over the use of “pocket recissions,” and some lawmakers have argued that the move is unconstitutional. 
“Given that this package was sent to Congress very close to the end of the fiscal year when the funds are scheduled to expire, this is an apparent attempt to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval,” Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) said, joining Senate Democrats who spoke out against the move. &#8220;Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law.&#8221;
A White House official said Friday afternoon that they believed it had &#8220;a very firm legal footing&#8221; to make the cuts, and that “we will be making that case.”

President Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting

Trump Slashes $5 Billion In Foreign Spending Using Rare Executive Maneuver

Budget

Congress

Executive

spending

USAID

The Trump administration is barring Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and other PA officials from entering the United States ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September, where several countries are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state.
According to documents obtained by The Daily Wire, the State Department will suspend visas for all members of the delegation for at least 180 days and revoke visas issued prior to July 31 due to violations of U.S. law and national security interests.
The move comes as Australia, Canada, France, and Malta plan to recognize Palestinian statehood during the UNGA, where <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-863756">Arab media report</a> that Abbas planned to issue a constitutional declaration outlining the state’s borders and foundations. 
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau approved the move after determining the PA and PLO were in violation of U.S. law, according to the documents, by “unilaterally declaring Palestinian statehood; glorifying violence; promoting antisemitism; and providing material support to terrorists” through its “pay for slay” program.
&#8220;In compliance with the laws and national security interests of the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly,&#8221; State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. &#8220;Before they can be taken seriously as partners for peace, the PA and PLO must repudiate terrorism, lawfare campaigns at the ICC and ICJ, and the pursuit of unilateral recognition of statehood.  The PA Mission to the UN will receive waivers per the UN Headquarters agreement.  The United States remains open to re-engagement should the PA/PLO demonstrably take concrete steps to return to constructive engagement.&#8221;
“The Trump Administration does not reward terrorism,” Pigott added.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The document specifically accuses the PA of being “out of compliance” with the Palestinian Liberation and Organization Commitments Compliance Act (PLOCCA) and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act (MEPCA).
The PA’s &#8220;pay to slay&#8221; program drew outrage in 2016 after a Palestinian terrorist killed Taylor Force, a U.S. Army veteran, during a stabbing spree in Tel Aviv. Though the terrorist was killed during the attack, his family still received monthly payments from the PA’s Martyrs’ Fund. While the PA claimed in early 2025 that it was ending the program, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/02/10/pa-to-modify-pay-to-slay-policy-in-apparent-overture-to-trump/">reported</a> that it only slightly restructured it. 
Landau’s decision ensures that Abbas and his delegation are unable to use the platform to push for statehood at the UNGA, where the French-Saudi High-Level Conference on the Two-State Solution (2SS) is also scheduled to take place. 
The first 2SS conference, held in July, was described as a “publicity stunt” and an “insult” by State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
“This week, the U.N. will serve as host to an unproductive and ill-timed conference on the two-state solution in New York City,” Bruce said. “This is a publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.”
The conference failed to get all conference participants to recognize a Palestinian state.
The documents state that the Two-State Solution conference is a “propaganda victory for Hamas” and that its “content is designed to present Palestinian statehood as the only possible outcome of the Gaza conflict,” undermining the United States’ ability to negotiate ceasefire talks.
Palestinian officials have been required to obtain waivers to travel to the UN Headquarters in New York City for official government business; however, the State Department has refused to issue waivers, thereby denying entry.
However, five permanent staff members and their dependents from the Palestinian UN Observer Mission will still be allowed to travel to the United States, as they are visiting the UN headquarters as part of their official duties and would be coming regardless of any recognition announcements. Allowing their presence also fulfills U.S. obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement, according to the documents.
As precedent, the documents cite the U.S. denying travel for certain members of the Iranian delegation, but note that it has not denied visas to an entire delegation before. However, the document states that the “PA delegation’s presence in the United States would be prejudicial to national interests.”
In July, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-kingdom-threatens-to-recognize-state-of-palestine-if-israel-doesnt-agree-to-ceasefire?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=17&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=United+Kingdom+Threatens+To+Recognize+%E2%80%98State+of+Palestine%E2%80%99+If+Israel+Doesn%E2%80%99t+Agree+To+Ceasefire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued an ultimatum</a> saying that the United Kingdom would recognize a “state of Palestine” at the UNGA if Israel did not meet certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire and ending the conflict in Gaza. New Zealand and Portugal also say that they are considering recognition.

Untitled design-2

Rubio Bars Mahmoud Abbas From Entering U.S. Ahead Of Palestinian Statehood Push At UN

Palestinian Authority

United Nations

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late Thursday that the State Department was not going to issue any additional work visas for commercial truck drivers, at least for the time being.
&#8220;Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers,&#8221; he said in a post on X. &#8220;The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio/status/1958644528253948015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Rubio&#8217;s announcement comes after an accident involving an immigrant from India — who received a work permit under former President Joe Biden and a commercial driver&#8217;s license from the state of California — resulted in the deaths of three American citizens in Florida.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-given-commercial-drivers-license-by-californias-newsom-charged-in-fatal-semi-truck-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harjinder Singh</a>, who entered the United States illegally in 2018, was granted a commercial driver’s license in California. He made an illegal turn from the outside lane at a spot marked “Official Use Only,” and his truck crushed a minivan that had been driving in the inside lane. Singh has since been arrested for vehicular homicide and was slapped with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The tragedy that unfolded in Florida also sparked a battle between Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin and the X account run by Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gavin-newsom-tangles-with-dhs-over-illegal-accused-of-killing-three-americans-with-semi-truck" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom&#8217;s</a> (D-CA) Press Office when McLaughlin argued that three American citizens would still be alive if not for the license granted to Singh in California.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
3 innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California DMV issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License—this state of governance is asinine.
How many more innocent people have to die before <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GavinNewsom</a> stops playing games with the safety of the… <a href="https://t.co/chT7ln1TTZ">pic.twitter.com/chT7ln1TTZ</a>
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) <a href="https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/1957433382230507868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Newsom’s press office responded to McLaughlin with a graphic, saying that California does not issue commercial licenses to immigrants who do not have legal status and blaming Trump for that because Singh entered the country illegally in 2018.
“Hey, genius: the federal government (TRUMP ADMIN) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements — YOU issued him a work permit (EAD). As usual, the Trump Administration is either lying or clueless. p.s. @grok, who was President in 2018?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hey, genius: the federal government (TRUMP ADMIN) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements &#8212; YOU issued him a work permit (EAD).
As usual, the Trump Administration is either lying or clueless.
p.s. <a href="https://twitter.com/grok?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@grok</a>, who was President in 2018? <a href="https://t.co/OHVnC3zS20">https://t.co/OHVnC3zS20</a> <a href="https://t.co/raF7hFWGkb">pic.twitter.com/raF7hFWGkb</a>
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/status/1957460210110300656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
McLaughlin pushed back, however, noting that the Trump administration had denied Singh&#8217;s request for a work visa and that he was not able to get one until former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration took over.
&#8220;False. Harjinder Singh is in the United States illegally and his work authorization was rejected under the Trump Administration on September 14, 2020. It was later approved under the Biden Administration June 9, 2021. The state of California issues Commercial Drivers Licenses. There is no national CDL,&#8221; McLaughlin wrote, concluding her post, &#8220;Sincerely, Genius.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
False. Harjinder Singh is in the United States illegally and his work authorization was rejected under the Trump Administration on September 14, 2020. It was later approved under the Biden Administration June 9, 2021.
The state of California issues Commercial Drivers Licenses.… <a href="https://t.co/4YSs3qIj2B">https://t.co/4YSs3qIj2B</a>
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) <a href="https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/1957503043710181746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

‘Effective Immediately’: State Department Halts Worker Visas For Commercial Truck Drivers

'Effective Immediately': State Department Halts Worker Visas For Commercial Truck Drivers

Florida

Traffic

President Donald Trump said Sunday night that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could end the war with Russia “almost immediately” if he wanted.
Trump’s comments came ahead of a meeting on Monday at the White House between Trump, Zelensky, and other European leaders. Trump, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska, is pushing for an end to the years-long war that broke out in February 2022. 
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115047128460078066">wrote</a> on Truth Social. “No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”
After his meeting with Putin, Trump said that “it was determined by all” that the best way to end the war would be to go directly to a peace deal rather than a ceasefire agreement. 
Along those lines, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both sides would have to make concessions to get to a peace deal. 
“There are things Russia wants that it cannot get and there are things Ukraine wants it&#8217;s not going to get,” he <a href="https://x.com/StateDept/status/1957116607454748836">said</a> on “Face the Nation&#8221; on Sunday. “Both sides are going to have to give up something in order to get to the table in order to make this happen. That&#8217;s just the way it is. The sooner we accept that, that&#8217;s the reality.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Zelensky, who arrived in the United States on Sunday, <a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1957271398902039032">said</a> in a post on X that “we all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably.”
“I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance. Russia must end this war, which it itself started,” he said. 
The last meeting at the White House between Zelensky and Trump ended with the Ukrainian president being asked to leave after he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-and-vance-clash-with-zelensky-in-fiery-white-house-meeting">clashed</a> with both Trump and Vice President JD Vance during a meeting in the Oval Office. Trump said during that exchange that Zelensky was &#8220;gambling with World War III&#8221; and that he was being disrespectful to the United States for all the aid it had sent to his country. 
Other leaders scheduled to meet with Trump on Monday include French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen.

President Trump Hosts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy At The White House

Trump Says Zelensky Can End War With Russia ‘Almost Immediately’

Trump Says Zelensky Can End War With Russia 'Almost Immediately'

Ukraine-Russia War

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday the &#8220;only way&#8221; to achieve a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is for both sides to make concessions.
Rubio made the comments to &#8220;Meet The Press&#8221; anchor Kristen Welker during an <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1957071926645391805" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> on NBC News a couple days after President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the years-long conflict.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a>: &#8220;The only way to reach a deal is for each side to get something and each side to give something — and that&#8217;s been very difficult. If it was easy, this wouldn&#8217;t have been going on for 3.5 years&#8230; That&#8217;s why Zelensky is coming tomorrow.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Z5h2tv9wRz">pic.twitter.com/Z5h2tv9wRz</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1957071926645391805?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;As you can imagine, everybody goes into a negotiation wanting 100% of what they want. That includes Ukraine, but obviously the Russians. And the only way to reach a deal on anything, whether it&#8217;s in business or in politics or in geopolitics, the only way to reach a deal is for each side to get something, and each side to give something,&#8221; Rubio said.
He continued, &#8220;And that&#8217;s been very difficult. If it was easy, this wouldn&#8217;t have been going on for three and a half years. Understand the longer these wars go on, the harder they are to end unfortunately. Because one side is always looking for leverage on the other, in this particular case, the Russia side as well.&#8221;
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders are expected to huddle with Trump at the White House on Monday. Another meeting with Putin could follow if there is a viable path toward peace.
<a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" data-sk="tooltip_parent">End of Summer Sale &#8211; Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Trump has <a href="https://x.com/BulwarkOnline/status/1956528613987107020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> that land swaps and safety measures are part of the discussion, although it remains to be seen whether Russia and Ukraine will ultimately agree to such terms.
During another interview on Sunday, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that Putin will not stand for Ukraine to join NATO, but is open to allowing some kind of arrangement that would allow the United States to effectively provide one of its major security tenets.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Tapper: &#8220;You mentioned the Article 5 guarantee of NATO&#8230;Russia would allow that to happen?&#8221;
Witkoff: &#8220;That&#8217;s not what I said. What I said is we got to an agreement that the U.S. and other European nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language for security guarantees.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/gIiT59IdQJ">pic.twitter.com/gIiT59IdQJ</a>
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) <a href="https://twitter.com/BulwarkOnline/status/1957071026434584868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,&#8221; Witkoff <a href="https://x.com/BulwarkOnline/status/1957071026434584868" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> to &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; host Jake Tapper. &#8220;We sort of were able to bypass that and get an agreement that the United States could offer Article 5 protection, which was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that.&#8221;

Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Rubio Reveals The ‘Only Way’ To Achieve Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal

Steve Witkoff

U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unloaded on ABC News host Martha Raddatz over her claim that when President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Friday&#8217;s summit in Alaska, he had effectively &#8220;elevated&#8221; the Russian leader on the world stage.
Raddatz brought up the summit, which Trump has touted as a success, and claimed that &#8220;people were saying&#8221; he had actually given Putin the upper hand by allowing him to walk the &#8220;red carpet&#8221; and be seen on the &#8220;world stage&#8221; meeting with the American President.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> nukes ABC for asking about the &#8220;red carpet&#8221; for Putin: &#8220;You&#8217;re not going to end a war between Russia and Ukraine without dealing with Putin&#8230; [<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>] is the only leader in the world that could get Putin to a meeting to talk about serious things.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/daqIzXA9H6">pic.twitter.com/daqIzXA9H6</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1957082014156296663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Critics of President Trump will say the pomp and circumstance — pomp and circumstance, the red carpet, the warm handshake — that President Trump simply lost that, that Putin gained there just by being on the world stage and walking down a red carpet with the president,&#8221; Raddatz said. &#8220;Your reaction to that?&#8221;
Rubio chuckled before responding, &#8220;Well, critics of President Trump are always going to find something to criticize, we don&#8217;t even pay attention to it anymore, but I will tell you this: Putin is already on the world stage.&#8221;
The Secretary of State went on to point out that Putin, after waging a major war against Ukraine for over three years, could hardly be considered a non-entity when it came to global politics — especially since he also sits in control of the second largest strategic nuclear arsenal in the world.
<a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" data-sk="tooltip_parent">End of Summer Sale &#8211; Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
&#8220;When I hear people say that, &#8216;Oh, it elevates him,&#8217; all we do is talk about Putin all the time. All the media&#8217;s done is talk about Putin all the time for the last four or five years,&#8221; Rubio said. &#8220;That doesn&#8217;t mean he&#8217;s right about the war, that doesn&#8217;t mean he&#8217;s justified about the war. If you put all of that aside, it means you&#8217;re not going to have a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, you&#8217;re not going to end a war between Russia and Ukraine without dealing with Putin.&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s just common sense, I shouldn&#8217;t even have to say it,&#8221; Rubio continued, reminding Raddatz that it wasn&#8217;t the United States at war with Russia and arguing that Trump did not have to intervene at all – but also noting that he was the only leader with the ability to do so.
Raddatz further pressed Rubio to reveal details from the negotiations, asking what &#8220;concessions&#8221; Putin may have agreed to, but Rubio refused: &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t name them on your program.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a>: &#8220;What utility would there be of me going on a program and telling you we wagged our finger at Putin and told him you must do this? &#8230; As much as everyone would love it to be a live PPV event, these discussions ONLY work best when they are conducted privately.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/8LFJj06Fgq">pic.twitter.com/8LFJj06Fgq</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1957076077693509860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;What utility would there be of me going on a program and telling you we wagged our finger at Putin and told him you must do this?&#8221; Rubio asked. &#8220;As much as everyone would love it to be a live pay-per-view event, these discussions ONLY work best when they are conducted privately.&#8221;

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies on the 2026 Budget In House Hearing

‘I Shouldn’t Even Have To Say It’: Rubio Slaps Back ABC’s Raddatz For Saying Trump ‘Elevated’ Putin

'I Shouldn't Even Have To Say It': Rubio Slaps Back ABC's Raddatz For Saying Trump 'Elevated' Putin

ABC News

Martha Raddatz

Menu