Fact Check: Did Marco Rubio say he'll attend all summits remotely after Trump's Turkey escape?
WASHINGTON, DC: A social media post claims that the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said he will attend all his future summits remotely. This comes after President Donald Trump’s secret escape from Turkey due to 'credible' assassination threats from Iran. The claim has sparked mockery and speculation, requiring a fact-check.
Claim: Marco Rubio to attend all future summits remotely
According to a viral Facebook post, Rubio says he will attend all his future summits remotely after he got traumatized by Trump’s secret escape from Turkey recently.
The claim has also spread on X and Instagram, garnering hundreds of thousands of views, with many appearing to mock the Secretary of State, an indication that many believe the claim to be true.
Meanwhile, a few others remained skeptical and questioned the claim’s authenticity.
Fact Check: The claim originated from a satire account
The claim, however, is false, as there are no reports of Rubio saying that he will attend all future summits remotely.
A Google search for the claim revealed that no credible news outlets have reported on the claim, which, if true, would not go unreported.
There are also no official statements or announcements from the Secretary of State or the White House that support the viral rumor.
Additionally, the claim originated from the Facebook account called ‘Andy Borowitz,’ a page affiliated with ‘The Borowitz Report,’ a site that posts news satire.
Donald Trump's Turkey escape after Iran threat
According to a report by The Washington Post, airport security personnel in Turkey moved Trump from the aircraft presented as Air Force One to the public to a smaller Air Force C-32A.
The report suggests the operation involved an airport catering truck being used to move the president without drawing attention to his departure.
However, journalists travelling with Trump remained aboard the original aircraft, which reached the United Kingdom, and were unaware that Trump was not on the plane. They were instructed to keep the shades over the press cabin windows closed.
When asked about the security concerns onboard, Trump said, “Well, yeah, because you're, you know, probably dangerous, because of the sleeves bags that we have to deal with.”
When asked about Iran’s assassination threat, he said, “Oh, I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list, before you. But if I go, you go, right? So perhaps, perhaps I may want to change professions. If I go, you go.”
