Secretary of State Briefly Halts Trump with Handwritten Note on Gaza Peace Deal

An urgent handwritten message passed to the President by his top diplomat, Marco Rubio, indicated that an announcement regarding a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be made imminently.

Captured in a photograph, the note's contents encouraged the president to approve a post on his social media network to break the news first.

"Nearly there," it read, according to the photo. "We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first."

Not long after the note was seen, Trump published on his Truth Social network, expressing he was "very proud" to reveal the first phase of the agreement.

"This indicates that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Long-lasting, and Everlasting Peace," he stated.

The Incident the Note Was Handed to Trump

Trump was holding a roundtable event with conservative influencers about antifa when Rubio, standing in the rear of the White House's Blue Room, caught his eye.

He had news for Trump, he explained, but it would have to wait until after the press departed. Then, Rubio handed the president the note.

"I just received a note by the secretary of state saying that we're nearing completion to a deal on the Middle East, and they're gonna need me pretty quickly," Trump announced. "Therefore, we will address a couple of more questions."

Background of the Negotiations

The meeting had already been underway for more than an hour when Rubio first approached. The president welcomed him to enter, and Rubio quietly spoke something to Trump before giving him the note.

The note's urgent tone coincided with Trump's top Middle East adviser, Steve Witkoff, Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other senior officials participated in a third day of negotiations between Israel and Hamas at an Egyptian resort – a sign that negotiators are working to dive deeply into the most challenging topics of a American proposal to halt hostilities in Gaza.

Trump's Remarks on Middle East Travel

Trump had begun the influencer event by telling assembled journalists that he intended to travel to the Middle East "near the conclusion of the week" and could even "make the rounds" in the region to Egypt and possibly Gaza as US diplomats neared completion of a deal.

Nevertheless, even after Rubio gave Trump the note, Trump kept speaking to the influencers and respond to queries from the media as the secretary of state became noticeably restless.

Wrapping Up the Meeting

Almost 10 minutes after his initial comments about leaving, Trump declared: "I must leave now to try and resolve some problems in the Middle East – although I'm ably assisted by our secretary of state. He could probably do an even better job than me, but who knows."

"We wish to avoid to take any chances. So we're going to go and do that," Trump added.

He then suggested that two attendees remain and take questions in his stead. However, Trump kept fielding questions before the event concluded without Cabinet members staying.

"We're gonna get peace in the Middle East," Trump wrapped by saying. "That is exactly what we want to do."