Secretary of State Marco Rubio previewed a high-profile trip to Rome from the White House briefing room Tuesday. He delivered sharp warnings to Iran and flashed an easy command of the podium. His performance drew widespread praise from conservative allies online.
"The trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage, and other secretaries of state have done that in the past," Rubio said at the White House press conference. The briefing occurred two days before Rubio is scheduled to visit the Vatican and Italy.
He will hold meetings amid heightened tensions between President Donald Trump, Pope Leo, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The growing conflict between the United States and Iran has strained these international relationships. Rubio used the briefing to defend the administration’s posture toward Tehran and downplay the timing of the visit.
He also signaled that Washington is not backing off its pressure campaign against the hostile nation. "The message to Iran ... these guys are facing real catastrophic destruction to their economy, generational destruction to their economy, generational destruction to the wealth of their country imposed on themselves by the actions that they're taking," Rubio said.
"They should check themselves before they wreck themselves in the direction that they're going," Rubio quipped. He is expected to meet with Pope Leo on Thursday morning. The pontiff has recently criticized the Trump administration’s Middle East peacemaking efforts.
"There has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable," the pope said in April. "There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population." These comments were seemingly in reference to a Truth Social post from President Trump.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," Trump wrote online. "I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will... God Bless the Great People of Iran!"
The President told reporters on Wednesday in the Oval Office that he only has one message for the pope. "I can tell you this, that as far as the Pope is concerned, and it's very simple. Whether I make him happy or I don't make him happy, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.
"And he seemed to be saying that they can. And I say they cannot, because if that happened, the entire world would be hostage," Trump added. "And we're not going to let that happen."
Rubio will also meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his overseas trip. She has been distancing herself from the United States amid mounting domestic and political pressure over the Middle East conflict. The meeting comes as Trump intensifies pressure on NATO allies to align against Iran.
The President recently ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany. This drawdown is expected to unfold over the next six to twelve months. Meloni said Tuesday she would not support any effort to reduce the American military presence in Italy.
Italy remains a key American security hub in Europe. The nation hosted nearly 13,000 active-duty American troops across six bases as of the end of 2025. Rubio heads to these meetings fresh off a highly praised stint at the White House podium.
He stepped in for Karoline Leavitt after she took maternity leave late last month. The secretary joked with reporters and fielded questions in multiple languages. His commanding presence gave supporters a glimpse of the leadership he will carry into Rome.
"Marco Rubio is showing the nation & the world what we’ve known about him for decades," Republican Florida Representative Carlos Gimenez said on X. "Rubio is one of the most eloquent, articulate, & incredibly capable statesmen of our times."
"President Trump made an EXCELLENT choice in him," Gimenez added. "He proves it every single day."