Rubio is sick of the mainstream media’s deceitful tactics. That’s why he’s going scorched earth on them.
And Marco Rubio didn’t hold back when slamming this Leftist reporter for a failed attack.
Tensions Flare as Rubio Defends Trump’s Ukraine Diplomacy on “Face the Nation”
A heated exchange unfolded on CBS’s Face the Nation this past Sunday, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio tangled with host Margaret Brennan over President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker peace in Ukraine.
Brennan raised European concerns, stating, “You know there is concern from the Europeans that President Zelensky is going to be bullied into signing something away. That’s why you have these European leaders coming as backup tomorrow.”
Rubio quickly cut in, rejecting the claim. “That is not true,” he said, as their voices overlapped. “They’re not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelensky from being bullied.”
The debate followed a high-profile summit in Alaska, where Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin to address the Ukraine conflict. The war, sparked by Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, has claimed an estimated two million lives, both military and civilian.
Trump, who campaigned on ending the war on “day one” and insisted it wouldn’t have started under his watch, has been pushing for a ceasefire. Though the Alaska summit didn’t secure an agreement, both sides called it productive and agreed to reconvene.
Trump scheduled a Monday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to review progress and plan next steps. He’s also floated a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelensky to hammer out a final deal.
President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, pointed to significant progress in Alaska, particularly on Ukrainian security. “We agreed on much more robust security guarantees,” Witkoff stated.
“The Russians agreed on enshrining legislatively language that they would attest to not attempting to take any more land from Ukraine after a peace deal, where they would attest to not violating any European borders.”
Brennan grilled Rubio on a tense Oval Office meeting involving Trump, Zelensky, and Vice President J.D. Vance, where Zelensky was reportedly “dressed down” for scoffing at negotiations with Putin.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are [sic] speaking about?” Zelensky had asked, prompting a sharp retort from Trump: “We gave you, through this stupid president, $350 billion. We gave you military equipment… If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks… you don’t have the cards.”
The meeting finished with Zelensky departing Washington early and a minerals deal stalled, though later finalized.
Rubio, undaunted, dismissed Brennan’s suggestion that Zelensky needed protection from pressure. “We had one meeting with Putin and like a dozen meetings with Zelensky,” he said, stressing close coordination with European allies.
“They are coming here because we’ve been working with the Europeans. We talked to them last week… The President talked to these leaders as early as Thursday… This is such a stupid media narrative.”
Secretary of State Rubio’s words pointed to a determination to counter skepticism and project momentum.
You can watch the exchanged between Rubio and Brennan below:
🚨 HOLY CRAP! CBS' Margaret Brennan thought she knew more about foreign policy and the Russia-Ukraine negotiations than Marco Rubio.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 17, 2025
She didn't. He put her in her place. Rubio is a masterclass.
"No it isn't, that's not why...That's not true...No."pic.twitter.com/ZpZASCsFYQ
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
