On the record · Updated October 1, 2026
US Secretary of State
99 things Marco Rubio said, verbatim, from March 28, 2026 to September 10, 2026, each linked to where it ran. Grouped by the questions at issue, with who supported, disputed, or qualified each one.
Positions
Supports
“securing stable reserves and low-cost oil in our Hemisphere and lowering gas prices here at home”
NBC News Trump says the US has taken majority control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, and gas is still $4.09 a gallon ›
Others on this question
“The idea that this will lower domestic US gas prices at any point in the near future is...tenuous, at best,”
More on the record
As printed
“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers”
The Algemeiner Iran and US Hit Tankers in Biggest Wave of Attacks on Shipping Since War Began ›
As printed
“Obviously, we're not going to do what the UK did. We saw their announcement today but I don't have any comment on it right now.”
on the US declining to join the UK's West Bank sanctions
BBC News Muted US response to UK's West Bank sanctions may reflect simmering frustration ›
As printed
“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships. And for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers. And I think you’ll see that again today,”
The Guardian US says Iranian tankers ‘destroyed’ after missile attacks on American warship ›
As printed
“obviously we’re not going to do what the UK did”
on the US distancing itself from Britain's sanctions on Israeli settlements
The American Conservative UK Sanctions Israeli Settlements, Says West Bank Occupation Is ‘Unlawful’ ›
As printed
“Suffice it to say there's been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We're hoping that will happen in a very short period.”
on indirect US-brokered Iran-Oman talks to end the Hormuz blockade
PBS NewsHour News Wrap: Blanche nomination clears Senate Judiciary Committee ›
As printed
“Iran’s policy is an eye for an eye. The president’s policy is a head for an eye. They are going to suffer more,”
As printed
“They continue to send signals that they want to talk, that they want to negotiate, but their behavior is what we’re responding to. And their behavior is, they’re launching missiles and drones at ships.”
As printed
“to send signals that they want to talk, that they want to negotiate, but their behavior is what we’re responding to. And their behavior is they’re launching missiles and drones at ships”
As printed
“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and if you don’t pay them, blow up your ships. We have created a very dangerous precedent”
on defending free passage through the Strait of Hormuz
As printed
“If these consequences didn't exist, then today we would be living in a world where a significant percentage of the energy supply in this region and 20% of the world's energy supply is being held hostage by a rogue regime,”
on consequences facing Iran over its share of the region's energy supply
Fox News Rubio says US remains open to Iran talks but warns there 'will be consequences' ›
As printed
“One of the reasons why Iran is in shambles is because every penny that this regime there gets, be it in sanctions relief or through the oil they’re able to get out, they invest it in Hezbollah, they invest it in Hamas,”
on Iran spending sanctions relief and oil revenue on Hezbollah and Hamas
Truthout US’s Own Intelligence Finds Further Strikes on Iran Are Futile, Report Says ›
As printed
“If the door opens to diplomacy — if the guys that want to do something productive for Iran win and take control of that system, or take control of the negotiations — that'll be a very positive development,”
on possible diplomacy if Iran's negotiators shift toward a deal
PBS NewsHour U.S. military says it's carrying out its 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran ›
As printed
“We’re going to continue to respond. If the door opens to diplomacy – if the guys that want to do something productive for Iran win and take control of that system, or take control of the negotiations – that’ll be a very positive development,”
on possible diplomacy if Iran's negotiators shift toward a deal
The Guardian US launches 10th round of strikes as Iran says it is in ‘full-scale war’ ›
As printed
“Lifting sanctions on Syria will unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild, and open up a new chapter for the Syrian people. A stable, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors benefits not only the region, but the entire world.”
Algemeiner.com US Removes Syria From Terrorism List as Washington Seeks to Support Post-War Reconstruction ›
As printed
“This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness,”
on Trump's removal of Syria from the terrorism list
Algemeiner.com US Removes Syria From Terrorism List as Washington Seeks to Support Post-War Reconstruction ›
As printed
“That’s existing international law. That’s the way it is in international waterways all over the world, and that’s the way we expect it’ll be here.”
on international law governing navigation in the Strait of Hormuz
NBC News Politics Iran and Oman propose fee plan for Strait of Hormuz, sources say ›
As printed
“For Lebanon, this Framework provides a genuine pathway out of a long crisis. For Israel, it creates a verifiable path to removing the persistent threat on its northern border,”
As printed
“no plans to invite inspectors from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency to nuclear sites that were hit by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in June 2025.”
As printed
“The people of Lebanon have suffered tremendously now for decades as a result of outside experience in the affairs of countries trying to use the country as a launch pad for attacks, and this is not what the people of Lebanon want, and that’s not what they deserve,”
on Israel and Lebanon signing a framework agreement after marathon talks
MSNBC Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement after marathon talks ›
As printed
“If in fact we accepted that you can charge money to use an international waterway because it happens to be near your territorial space, well then, this will spread throughout the world like a contagion.”
Breitbart News IRGC Attacks Commercial Vessel in Strait of Hormuz, Forcing U.N. to Pause Evacuation Plan ›
As printed
“If, on the other hand, this rhetoric is backed up by actual ships being threatened and ships are not moving, that’s a violation of the agreement, and we’re going to have a problem with it,”
on IRGC threats to ships in the Strait of Hormuz risking a violation
Breitbart News IRGC Attacks Commercial Vessel in Strait of Hormuz, Forcing U.N. to Pause Evacuation Plan ›
As printed
“The reality of it is that no country on Earth has the right to charge for the use of international waterways. And that will never be an acceptable condition of any deal. The president’s been fundamentally clear about that,”
Al Jazeera Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera Iran warns against Hormuz crossings without authorisation ›
As printed
“There is no part in this deal that’s undertaken that in any way undermines the security, the stability or the prosperity of any of our partners in the Gulf region,”
Associated Press An oil tanker navigates the Strait of Hormuz despite threats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard ›
As printed
“Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and we will not allow Iran to hide behind the immunity of a massive short-term ballistic missile inventory or the ability to make them or launch them,”
on Iran's missile program after Trump downplayed missiles as war rationale
Latest Political News on Fox News Trump says Iran's missiles 'aren't the problem' after White House made them central to war rationale ›
As printed
“The president laid them out on the first night of the operation. … Here they are — you should write them down. No. 1, the destruction of their air force. No. 2, the destruction of their navy.”
on U.S. war objectives against Iran outlined by Trump on the first night
Latest Political News on Fox News Trump says Iran's missiles 'aren't the problem' after White House made them central to war rationale ›
As printed
“Lebanon’s bilateral negotiations with Israel represent the only feasible path to reconstruction, economic recovery, and ending recurrent cycles of violence”
on Lebanon-Israel talks as Israeli strikes on Lebanon threaten US-brokered negotiations in Switzerland
Al Jazeera Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera US envoy headed for Switzerland, Israeli strikes on Lebanon threaten talks ›
As printed
“We’re hopeful that something like that could happen in which the straits would reopen, we would enter into a period of negotiations on very specific topics — delineated negotiations in the hope of reaching an outcome that’s acceptable to us, and something they would be able to do as well.”
The Intercept A Point-by-Point Breakdown of Trump’s Failed Iran War Objectives ›
As printed
“If President Trump gives the go-ahead, the U.S. could soon have more than 17,000 ground troops on Iran’s doorstep,”
on a possible troop surge near Iran if Trump authorizes it
World Socialist Web Site US to send another 10,000 ground troops to Middle East, as war with Iran escalates ›
As printed
“a reminder that other American citizens are still detained in Russia”
As printed
“We reiterate our opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo, particularly by threat or use of force or coercion,”
As printed
“We thank Russia for working with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to release Mr. Gilman and allowing him to receive the necessary medical treatment here in the United States,”
on Russia releasing former US Marine Gilman with help from envoy Steve Witkoff
One America News Network Fmr U.S. marine released from Russian prison ›
As printed
“While we appreciate this positive step, we are still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans,”
on Russia releasing a former US Marine while other Americans remain detained
BBC News Russia releases former US Marine reported in poor health ›
As printed
“an ongoing audit, so it's not a once-a-year audit, it's on every expenditure, every single disbursement is audited.”
on how revenue from Venezuela's oil is tracked and audited
Reason.com Trump Says He Took Venezuela's Oil. Here's What Actually Happened. ›
As printed
“resolve is ironclad: the United States will not tolerate a rogue state harboring hostile foreign military, intelligence, and terror operations just 90 miles from the American homeland.”
on the new CIA Cuba task force and sanctions targeting Cuba
World Socialist Web Site CIA launches Cuba task force amid new sanctions and UN warnings of a “silent Gaza” ›
As printed
“And this is why we do not want allies to rationalize the broken status quo rather than reckon with what is necessary to fix it. For we in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline.”
on allies avoiding hard choices about the West's declining influence
The Bulwark The Self-Inflicted Decline of American Leadership ›
As printed
“We want allies who are proud of their culture and of their heritage, who understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilization, and who, together with us, are willing and able to defend it,”
on allies sharing America's cultural and civilizational heritage
The Bulwark The Self-Inflicted Decline of American Leadership ›
As printed
“For more than six decades, the Cuban regime has been the leading sponsor of radical leftism and Third Worldism in the United States,”
on Cuba's decades-long role backing leftist movements
As printed
“We … control the dispersal of the money,”
As printed
“cannot expect to maintain business as usual with other nations when it is thwarting the basic tenets of our democratic hemisphere”
As printed
“The United States has been clear and steadfast in our opposition to the ICC’s politicization, abuse of power, disregard for our national sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach,”
As printed
“The Cuban regime’s sprawling intelligence and ideological network helped to build the far-left in our country and in our hemisphere, and it remains inextricably linked to the far-left groups and movements across and beyond the West.”
Truthout The State’s War on the Left Didn’t Begin With Trump — But He’s Escalating It ›
As printed
“We’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself.”
on US efforts to broker a middle ground, raised near Graham's funeral
Politico World leaders jockey for meeting with Trump on sidelines of Graham's funeral ›
As printed
“Cuba matters to us because it’s 90 miles from our shores, and it has a direct impact on our national security — be it the things they’ve been involved in in the past, the countries they’ve aligned with in the past and currently,”
The Daily Wire DSA Sends Activists To Cuba To ‘Dismantle The U.S. Empire’ ›
As printed
“If it’s in the media, it’s a leaker. I’m not going to – let me say – let’s imagine that were true. I certainly wouldn’t discuss it in the press.”
on declining to confirm leaked diplomatic details to the press
Breitbart News Rubio Rebukes Media: I Cannot Do Diplomacy and Announce Every Detail ›
As printed
“willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”
As printed
“If they believe they can deprive us of our sovereignty, we will teach them the full meaning of American resolve.”
As printed
“The ICC is backed and run by a powerful network of leftist nongovernment organizations, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments united by their enmity toward the U.S.,”
The Intercept Trump’s Sanctions Against the ICC Are Unconstitutional, Rights Groups Say ›
As printed
“Using all the tools at our government’s disposal, working beside every ally with whom we can make common cause, we will dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary,”
on Rubio's plan to dismantle the ICC over actions against the US
Algemeiner.com Marco Rubio Vows to ‘Dismantle’ ICC, Blasting Controversial Court for ‘Waging War’ Against US ›
As printed
“If we stand idle, all of them will be at the mercy of foreign judges, thousands of miles away – facing the constant risk of prosecution and even imprisonment for the so-called ‘crime’ of defending their own country,”
US politics | The Guardian ICE fatally shoots 26-year-old Colombian man in Maine during immigration operation – as it happened ›
As printed
“No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law, and that’s the way it is in international waterways across the world, and that’s the way we expect it will be here,”
on Trump's plan to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and impose fees
Truthout Trump Says He’s Taking Over Strait of Hormuz and Imposing Massive Fee ›
As printed
“We’ve done nothing punitive against the Cuban regime,”
As printed
“Our aid to those countries will not just be dollars distributed to an NGO who then will go into the country and impose programmes,”
BBC News Why some African nations are turning down Trump aid money ›
As printed
“No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway,”
As printed
“The Trump administration, in partnership with Ecuador and President Daniel Noboa, will continue to protect our hemisphere by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narcoterrorists,”
on US backing Ecuador against the Chone Killers drug trafficking gang
Al Jazeera Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera US designates Ecuador’s Chone Killers gang as ‘terrorist’ organisation ›
As printed
“The American flag: a symbol of liberty, unity and freedom now flies proudly once again over Kuwait City. Kuwait is an indispensable partner for regional security and stability,”
As printed
“If ships are moving as they should be moving, then that’s what we’re going to judge, and that’s what we’re going to react to,”
As printed
“The reality of it is that no country on Earth has a right to charge for the use of international waterways, and that will never be an acceptable condition of any deal,”
As printed
“The Trump administration looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration to advance regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen our economic ties,”
on congratulating Colombia's president-elect after a Trump-backed win
Truthout Far Right Millionaire Backed by Trump Claims Presidential Victory in Colombia ›
As printed
“This direct interference by U.S. officials in another country’s democratic elections is inconsistent with longstanding principles of national sovereignty and non-interference, as well as international law.”
on alleged US interference in Colombia's presidential election
Truthout Far Right Millionaire Backed by Trump Claims Presidential Victory in Colombia ›
As printed
“The President has to be prepared for multiple contingencies, which I’m not going to discuss in the media.”
As printed
“The United States is hunting down, dismantling, and destroying Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación,”
As printed
“reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation”
on opposing nuclear agreements risking proliferation
NBC News U.S. signs landmark nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia ›
As printed
“They coordinate, they communicate, they travel, they train, and they act, sharing the same infrastructure, sharing the same enemies, sharing the same mission,”
As printed
“That's existing international law. That's the way it is in international waterways all over the world, and that's the way we expect it here.”
BBC News Trump retreat over Hormuz tolls suggests he is struggling to end Iran war ›
As printed
“Chone Killers has committed numerous attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement officers and government officials, including high-profile assassinations of public officials,”
As printed
“has committed numerous attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement officers, and government officials, including high-profile assassinations of public officials,”
As printed
“Let there be no confusion about why: President Lula and his government have not negotiated with the U.S. in good faith,”
As printed
“His economic policies are bad for Americans and bad for Brazilians. For the past year, Lula has put his own ego ahead of making a deal for the welfare of the Brazilian people, and these tariffs are the price for that,”
on new 25 percent US tariffs on Brazil over Lula's trade policies
Breitbart News U.S. Announces 25 Percent Tariffs on Brazil for Unfair Trade Practices ›
As printed
“You can call it a toll, you can call it a fee, whatever you want to call it. It’s a game of semantics,”
As printed
“The State Department established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to review the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation’s laws,”
As printed
“But elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America’s laws- coaching foreigners to defraud the U.S. visa system, arranging travel and housing, and even forging documents, all to enable foreign nationals to obtain citizenship for their children.”
on the State Department's new task force targeting birth tourism fraud schemes
Breitbart News State Department Creates Task Force to Go After Birth Tourism ›
As printed
“serious adverse foreign policy consequences”
on prolonged detention of migrant children at a Texas ICE jail
Truthout Texas ICE Jail Has Held Migrant Kids 5 Times Longer Than Legally Allowed ›
As printed
“undermines U.S. foreign policy interests.”
on prolonged detention of migrant children at a Texas ICE jail
Truthout Texas ICE Jail Has Held Migrant Kids 5 Times Longer Than Legally Allowed ›
As printed
“Just days before this foreign sex offender was scheduled to be deported, Tim Walz the governor issued him a pardon, setting him free to once again endanger the children of America,”
on Gov. Tim Walz pardoning a foreign sex offender facing deportation
Blaze Media Marco Rubio takes action to END the threat from Tim Walz's illegal alien pedophile pardon ›
As printed
“Toe Lue Vang admitted to committing heinous crimes against a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota. He attempted to pay his victim for her silence and dismissed his acts of child abuse as a ‘minor thing.'”
One America News Network Rubio steps in, deports illegal alien child rapist pardoned by Walz ›
As printed
“America will never become home for foreign communists who peddle propaganda, run subversive influence operations, or support radical anti-American movements within the United States,”
As printed
“cases where applicants are suspected of misrepresenting their purpose of travel or sex”
As printed
“You should consider whether this misrepresentation is material such that it supports an ineligibility finding,”
As printed
“Just weeks ago, a foreign child rapist was freed to once again endanger America’s children after receiving a pardon from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz,”
As printed
“Here in the United States, we have taken the necessary and essential action formally recognizing left-wing violence as a form of political terrorism that is a direct threat to our national security and the survival of our republican form of government,”
on the US crackdown on the left including an activist's extradition
Truthout Trump Seeks Extradition of Pro-Palestine Activist Amid Crackdown on the US Left ›
As printed
“For far too long, however, our counterterrorism doctrine has had a blind spot – a blind spot when it comes to extremist violence from the political left,”
on counterterrorism policy overlooking left-wing political violence
Fox News House committee passes Foreign Funding Transparency Act to expose foreign donations to nonprofits ›
As printed
“Under President Trump, for the first time, the United States is building the infrastructure, the partnership, and the strategy to defeat the scourge of far-left terror.”
on Trump administration efforts to combat left-wing political violence
As printed
“It has always been driven by a hatred, above all else, a hatred for civilization itself.”
As printed
“Our counterterrorism doctrine has had a blind spot — a blind spot when it comes to extremist violence from the political left,”
on claims that counterterrorism policy overlooks left-wing political violence
As printed
“So many people in positions of power have repeatedly dismissed acts of violence and even terrorism as legitimate forms of political expression, so long as they served a left-wing cause,”
As printed
“This is a distinctive and unique evil. It has always been driven by a hatred, above all else, a hatred for civilization itself. It is a revolt of the worst against the best”
on left-wing movement as civilizational threat
Truthout Miller Labels Leftists a “Cancer” That World Must “Root Out” in Fascistic Speech ›
As printed
“A bomb planted by a neo-Nazi group was 'a nefarious and murderous act of evil.' It is, but a bomb planted by a Marxist revolutionary; well, that's just merely a tragic excess of idealism.”
on different standards for treating left vs right-wing violence
NPR Rubio convenes countries on left-wing political violence ›
As printed
“The last thing parents serving their nation overseas should be worried about, particularly in a theater with heightened geopolitical tensions, is whether their children are being exposed to sexually charged content simply because they visited their local library,”
on library content concerns for military families amid the trans troop ban
Washington Blade Hegseth announces testosterone initiative as trans troop ban continues ›
As printed
“This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches,”
As printed
“We call on the CCP to immediately release the detained church leaders and to allow all people of faith, including members of house churches, to engage in religious activities without fear of retribution.”
The Daily Wire - Breaking News, Videos & Podcasts Her Father Was Imprisoned By The CCP. She Wants Trump’s Help In Securing His Release. ›
As printed
“I’m a Florida Gator, but if the University of Miami gets screwed out of the College Football Playoffs, after going 10-2 and beating Notre Dame, the whole thing should be scrapped,”
As printed
“That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold." Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who joined Trump at the White House event, credited the president for taking action. "On behalf of all Americans, thank you for getting rid of that ridiculous red card,”
on Trump's response to a disputed World Cup referee red card
ABC News: Politics Trump says World Cup referee's red card call was 'horrible' but insists he left outcome to FIFA ›
As printed
“We are so divided by so many different things…there are only a handful of things that bring people together in one place at one time, united by their interest in one thing,”
on signing a sports diplomacy deal with UFC at the White House
Truthout Rubio Signs Sports Diplomacy Deal With UFC Ahead of Weekend Fight at White House ›
As printed
“There’s a reason why this has been going on for 47 years, but we’re gonna give it an opportunity.”
As printed
“He owns a fleet of luxury cars, including a Rolls Royce, and frequently travels by private jet,”
As printed
“has built a lucrative legal and media empire around his reputation.”
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