Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn’t hold back Sunday when CBS's Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan tried to push the tired media line that President Donald Trump is “bullying” Ukraine into a bad peace deal with Russia.
In a fiery moment that lit up social media, Rubio called out the entire premise of Brennan’s question as a “stupid media narrative” — and he was absolutely right.
“This is such a stupid media narrative that [European leaders] are coming here tomorrow because Trump is going to bully Zelensky into a bad deal,” Rubio shot back. “We’ve been working with these people for weeks… We invited them to come.”
The Secretary of State wasn’t just defending President Trump; he was defending reality. The left struggles to give President Trump credit for his unorthodox yet effective approach to foreign policy, including his record of avoiding new military conflicts and prioritizing direct diplomacy. Now, as Trump engages on the world stage with a proposed peace framework to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, much of the media appears more focused on sowing skepticism than examining the potential merits of the plan. Rubio challenged that narrative head-on during his appearance on the network. Rather than exploring whether a negotiated freeze along the front lines could realistically stop the bloodshed, Brennan leaned into a familiar media angle — suggesting Trump might pressure President Zelensky into an unfavorable deal.
.@SecRubio nukes Margaret Brennan: "This is such a stupid media narrative that [European leaders] are coming here tomorrow because Trump is going to bully Zelensky into a bad deal. We've been working with these people for weeks... WE invited them to come." 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YoiyyA3xsp
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 17, 2025