An AP reporter has shared details about the moment Marco Rubio handed President Donald Trump a critical note concerning his social media during a meeting on Antifa on October 8. This event unfolded when Secretary of State Rubio discreetly entered the room and handed Trump a handwritten note of significant importance.
Associated Press photojournalist Nathan Ellgren, who was present to document the occurrence, observed something unusual before others did. He recounted the scene in a recording available on the outlet’s YouTube channel.
Ellgren stated, “I noticed in the back of the room, Secretary Rubio had stepped in but hadn’t come to the table to sit down. Usually, he has a very calm demeanor, and for some reason, he seemed in a hurry.”
As a photographer trained to notice peculiarities, Ellgren watched closely as Rubio picked up a notepad and began writing, sensing that a significant moment was imminent. He recalled, “As he wrote the whole note, I had my lens on him the entire time. When he ripped the note off, I was able to capture what it actually had written down.”
The note, which Rubio then passed to Trump before whispering in his ear, stated: “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.” This note referred to the peace agreement being brokered between Hamas and the Israeli government, a process in which Trump played a crucial role.
Recognizing the potential importance of the note immediately, Ellgren’s instincts were soon validated.
Trump then paused the discussion, announcing to the reporters present: “I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we’re very close to a deal on the Middle East, and they’re gonna need me pretty quickly. So we’ll take a couple of more questions.”
After ten minutes, he concluded the conference, adding with a smile, “Although I’m very well represented by our secretary of state. He could probably do an even better job than me, but who knows. We don’t want to take any chances. So we’re going to go and do that.”
Subsequently, two hours after the meeting concluded, Trump’s Truth Social account released a statement announcing that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the ‘first Phase of our Peace Plan,’ involving the release of hostages and Israeli troop withdrawals as part of the agreement.
Reflecting on the sequence of events, Ellgren remarked, “I went immediately to my files and looked through it…It ended up becoming huge.”