Top Diplomat Briefly Halts Trump with Handwritten Note on Middle East Peace Deal

An pressing handwritten message passed to the President by his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, indicated that an announcement regarding a ceasefire deal in Gaza might be made very soon.

Recorded in a image, the note's text urged the president to approve a post on his Truth Social platform to announce the news first.

"Very close," the note read, as shown in the photo. "You are needed to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first."

Shortly after the note was revealed, Trump posted on his Truth Social network, stating he was "extremely pleased" to announce the initial stage of the deal.

"This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released shortly, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an mutually accepted line as the first steps toward a Robust, Long-lasting, and Enduring Peace," he wrote.

The Moment the Note Was Handed to Trump

Trump was holding a roundtable event with right-leaning commentators about antifa when Rubio, positioned in the rear of the White House's state room, caught his eye.

He had news for Trump, he said, but it would have to wait until after the media departed. Subsequently, Rubio passed the president the message.

"I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we're very close to a deal on the Middle East, and they're gonna require my input pretty quickly," Trump said. "Therefore, we will address a couple of more questions."

Behind the Scenes of the Negotiations

The event had already been underway for more than an hour when Rubio came forward. The president welcomed him to enter, and Rubio quietly spoke something to Trump before handing 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 joined a third day of peace talks between Israel and Hamas at an Egyptian resort – a sign that delegates aim to tackle the toughest issues of a US plan to halt hostilities in Gaza.

Trump's Remarks on Middle East Travel

Trump had begun the influencer event by telling the press that he intended to travel to the Middle East "toward the end of the week" and could even "make the rounds" in the region to Cairo and perhaps Gaza as US diplomats closed in on 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 visibly anxious.

Concluding the Meeting

Almost 10 minutes after his initial comments about departing, Trump declared: "I have to go now to try and solve some problems in the Middle East – although I'm very well represented 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 continued.

He then suggested that Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem remain and take questions in his stead. However, Trump kept fielding questions before the event concluded without administration officials staying.

"We will achieve peace in the Middle East," Trump wrapped by saying. "That's what we want to do."

Timothy Jones
Timothy Jones

Automotive journalist with over a decade of experience, specializing in electric vehicles and sustainable transportation solutions.