Secretary of State Marco Rubio was subject to internet mockery Wednesday when he a reporter pressed him to make a startling admission.
Rubio, appearing at a news conference in the Philippines, was asked if he had discussed with the Chinese foreign minister President Donald Trump's claim that the country had interfered with U.S. elections.
"Was there an agreement on election interference during your talk with the Chinese foreign minister?" a reporter asked.
Rubio responded, "We didn't discuss that topic."
Trump's speech, during which he aired his pet conspiracy theory that the 2020 election results were rigged, has been widely panned.
Critics have noted the documents he declassified don't provide any evidence that China successfully altered vote totals or even attempted to do so.
Rubio's answer also earned swift mockery from commenters on social media, since Trump's primetime address on Chinese election interference on Thursday night was broadly seen as staking out the issue as a massive priority for the administration.
Author Anthony M. Hopper replied with sarcasm, asking, "How many clowns can one fit into a White House?
The Tennessee Holler, a progressive news site, wrote in response, "All the evidence you need that Trump’s primetime speech was a giant hot air lie intended only to set up the theft of the next election is right here in this brief clip."
Former Los Angeles Times senior editorial writer Michael McGough, rather cryptically, wrote, "Oh."
