President Donald Trump's decision to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet with Pope Leo shows Trump may be interested in pitting his Cabinet members against each other, according to a report on Thursday.
The president's "mission impossible" for Rubio has raised questions about loyalties in the Trump administration — not necessarily healing strained ties with the Vatican, reported David Gardner for The Swamp, The Daily Beast's Substack.
"As serious as it is to watch Donald Trump destroy the dignity of his office, it is amusing to watch him play with his Cabinet with the same vicious glee he once treated celebrities on The Apprentice," according to The Swamp.
The move was questionable, especially after one of his top aides had urged Trump to pay attention to MAGA voters' top domestic concerns.
"Why else would he send Marco Rubio to the Vatican one week after Susie Wiles begged Trumpers to stay in the country and focus on persuading MAGA voters that all is well and America really is first?" The Swamp reported.
Rubio's visit followed weeks of feuding between the commander-in-chief and global leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Trump has thrown a slew of attacks at Pope Leo, and even said he prefers his older brother, a Florida resident.
"I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump's decision to send Rubio reportedly signals another potential ploy — and where the president's ally stands in the administration.
"Rubio feels like the grown-up in the administration," according to The Swamp. "He stood in for Karoline Leavitt with aplomb last week and has managed to side-step Trump’s more insane behavior better than suck-ups like Pete Hegseth, Howard Lutnick, and even Scott Bessent. The president has clearly sided with his one-time presidential nomination rival over the more ardently opportunistic JD Vance."
"But the Vatican mission may suggest that, with the Iran War back on the shelf, Trump has decided to amuse himself by playing with his would-be successors," The Swamp reported. "Expect a Truth Social post any minute, blowing up any efforts Rubio may be making this morning to persuade the pope that the U.S. embarked on a 'just war.'"
