Trump cuts roundtable short after getting note and whisper from Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio updates U.S. President Donald Trump on the Gaza proposal during a roundtable on antifa, an anti-fascist movement Trump designated a domestic "terrorist organization" via executive order on September 22, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

President Donald Trump cut short a roundtable on Antifa at the White House on Wednesday after receiving a note from Secretary of State Marco Rubio about ongoing negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

Trump hosted several MAGA influencers and cabinet members at the White House to discuss the administration's response to extremist left-wing groups following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September. Rubio arrived at the meeting late and handed Trump a note as he took his seat.

Trump read the note and nodded in Rubio's direction. Rubio then whispered something in the president's ear.

"I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying we're very close to a deal in the Middle East," Trump said. "And they're going to need me pretty quickly."

Trump then took a couple more questions before leaving the news conference.