'5 or 10 years down the road': Marco Rubio details scope of Trump's Camp David talks
WASHINGTON, DC: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday, October 5, that the Camp David gathering involved long-term planning, including scenarios five or 10 years ahead.
The meeting brought top national security officials together as the administration faced an Iran crisis and Saudi pressure over the Houthis in Yemen.
Rubio confirmed the gathering while speaking with reporters before departing for Iceland, Greece and Portugal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says National Security Council officials regularly meet for long-term strategic planning, including discussions looking six months, nine months, and even five to 10 years into the future. Rubio said the latest meeting was held at Camp David in a setting with fewer distractions, calling the discussions global in nature and focused on long-term planning. For more updates, watch OAN on OAN Live or click the link in our bio.
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Marco Rubio describes Camp David as long-term strategic planning
Rubio said the National Security Council regularly brings officials together to plan beyond immediate crises, with discussions spanning six months, nine months and “in many cases five or 10 years down the road.”
“We constantly are meeting for long-term strategic planning and things of this nature,” Rubio said.
He added that the Camp David setting offered “less distractions” for the group.
The meeting on Friday was attended by Vice President JD Vance, who chaired it, along with Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Dan Caine and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to an Axios report.
One official said, “Things were decided or at least deeply discussed,” referring to the crisis in the Middle East.
Iran talks stalled as Trump weighs next steps
The Camp David meeting came as negotiations with Iran had stalled and President Donald Trump was considering whether to resume major combat operations in Iran, according to the outlet.
“Now I have to make a decision: either Iran signs the deal, or it won't exist any longer,” Trump said on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia was urging Trump to conduct airstrikes against the Houthis and while Trump had been leaning against the idea, US officials said he could change his mind, the outlet reported.
The report said the Camp David meeting was highly unusual because the administration had not announced it, making the gathering notable beyond Rubio’s description of its planning purpose.
It also said the last similar meeting took place in June 2025, days before Israel went to war against Iran.
Trump keeps his next Iran move undisclosed
Trump was asked on Friday afternoon what his next move on Iran would be while his advisers were at Camp David.
“If I told you, you would have a major story,” Trump told reporters. “But you will see. It is working out very well. Iran is not doing well.”
Rubio, meanwhile, pushed back on the idea that the gathering itself was unusual for the administration’s national security team.
“It is not unusual for us as a team to get together,” Rubio said, describing the meeting as an opportunity to bring stakeholders together.
He stopped short of calling the Camp David session routine, saying, “I wouldn't call it routine ... but we had such meetings before.”
