Trump subjects Rubio to 'petty' humiliation in front of other Cabinet members
July 09, 2025
President Donald Trump humiliated Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a cabinet meeting by revealing that he'd taken a grandfather clock from his office.
The president ventured off topic Tuesday from foreign policy and global tariffs by bragging about the changes he'd made to the Cabinet Room in the White House to resemble his gilded Mar-a-Lago residence, and boated about pulling rank on Rubio to swipe a clock from his State Department office, reported The Daily Beast.
“So as president, you have the power — if I go into the State Department, or Department of Commerce or Treasury — if I see anything that I like, I’m allowed to take it," Trump said, as others in the meeting laughed. "Can you believe this?"
Trump then went on to recount how he'd purloined a "beautiful" clock from Rubio, who smiled awkwardly during the anecdote.
“I’m in Marco’s office [and] I see this gorgeous clock, grandfather clock,” Trump said, grinning, and he then slapped Rubio twice on the back as he continued. “I had to read him the rule and regulation. I said, ‘Marco, I love this clock – look at it, it’s beautiful.’”
Rubio at first acted like he hadn't noticed it, Trump said, and the president then boasted that he eventually just pulled a power play and took the clock against the secretary of state's wishes.
“I tried to talk him into it first, and it sort of worked,” Trump said, but then added that he applied more pressure as he again slapped him on the back at the meeting. “I said, ‘Marco, I have the right to do it.'"
“That’s his contribution to the Cabinet Room,” Trump added. “But, by the way, it’s an incredible clock.”
The Daily Beast described it as "petty."
Leave a Comment
Related Post