Rubio schools White House press corps, then faces harsh reality of Iran messaging

Published May 6, 2026 11:45am ET



Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of Washington Secrets. We were in the briefing room on Tuesday to watch Marco Rubio fill in for Karoline Leavitt while she is on maternity leave. It was a masterclass of messaging, dressed up in wit and ’90s rap lyrics. And then President Donald Trump blew it all up with a Truth Social post. Such is the life of the president’s messengers. You can read my piece about being in the room after a quick bit about why being Trump’s press secretary is the toughest job in the administration…

Did Marco Rubio know what he was getting himself into? Or did he only find out on Tuesday evening that being President Donald Trump’s press secretary is the toughest job in the administration?

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