Did Rubio Just Take A Swipe At Trump? ‘Stupid People’ Response To Racism Question Sparks Row

Ajouté : 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]What's your third question? On lot of comments, racist comments coming from US.

[00:00:06]That of course >> who who made those comments? Uh we we all have seen those comments, sir. We have seen endorsement of those comments.

[00:00:13]Which ones? I I'm So it's well known, sir.

[00:00:18]A reporter's question on racism appeared to catch US Secretary of State Marco Rubio off guard during his visit to India, putting him on the defensive in front of the cameras. When pressed on racist remarks targeting Indians and Indian Americans, Rubio pauses and stutters, first asking what comments before scrambling to clarify his position at the New Delhi presser. In April, President Donald Trump reshared a controversial podcast episode on Truth Social, amplifying a host's hardline views on immigration to his millions of followers. The podcast featured sharp anti-immigrant remarks and referred to India and China as hellholes, language that has triggered outrage and fresh questions about Trump's rhetoric toward key US partners.

[00:00:59]Uh racist comments coming from United States um against Indians, Indian Americans. You know, this goes against the basic premise of India-US relationship. So, what's your take on that? Yeah, what's your third question?

[00:01:11]On lot of comments, racist comments coming from US.

[00:01:15]That of course >> who made those comments? Uh we we all have seen those comments, sir. We have seen endorsement of those comments.

[00:01:23]Which ones? I I'm So, it's well known, sir. Anyway, um I don't know how to address that, but I'll take that very seriously about the comments. Look, I'm sure there are people that have made comments online and other places because every country in the world has stupid people.

[00:01:39]I'm sure you there are stupid people here. There are stupid people in the United States that make dumb comments all the time. Um I don't know what else to tell you other than the United States is a very welcoming country. Our nation has been enriched by people who come to our country, have come from our country from all over the world, have become Americans, have assimilated into our way of life and have contributed greatly.

[00:01:58]So, um I I That's all I can comment on that in regards to your point. Your second question, there's another question about technology cooperation. Absolutely. One of the reasons why we're such strong strategic allies is because India is a place that's very advanced technologically. You have companies that are on the leading edge of technology in a variety of fields. And you happen to be our ally in terms of country to country. So, it is an area of tremendous partnership. It speaks directly to the point that I made a moment ago and that is you can have an alliance with countries and we have, you know, we work with countries all over the world on a variety of issues, but there are only a handful of countries in the world where you can actually partner to influence global outcomes. And so, India is one of those countries, which adds which is the reason why our strategic alliance is so critical. It is between It's a strategic alliance between two highly capable partners who have industries within our country, private industries within our company within our countries that are on the leading edge of some of the top technologies of the 21st century. So, it makes all the sense in the world, two democracies with a lot of pre-existing links, with companies that are on the leading edge of cutting-edge 21st century technologies partnering together to make sure that those technologies are not just developing and continuing to lead the world in innovation, but are doing so in a way that furthers our national interests. So, that that is on that point. On the uh on the uh Iran situation, there'll be I believe, you know, maybe more news coming out a little bit later today on this topic and I'll leave it to the president to make further announcements on it. Suffice it to say that some progress has been made, significant progress, although not final progress has been made. Ultimately, here's I remind everybody, I think this ties into the second question that was asked with relations to it. What is the goal here? The goal here ultimately, the ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.

[00:03:51]Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.

[00:03:53]The president's been clear about that.

[00:03:54]They will never possess a nuclear weapon, certainly not as long as Donald Trump is president of the United States.

[00:04:00]Related to that is this issue of the of the straits. Okay, this is an international waterway. What we're They don't own it.

[00:04:07]They It's an international waterway, and what they are doing now is basically they are threatening to destroy commercial vessels using an international waterway. That is illegal under any concept of international law that governs us, but it's also an If we allow that to become normal, we would be normalizing an unacceptable status quo and setting a dangerous precedent that could be replicated here in this region and in multiple places around the world. So, the desire the president has, his his his preference, is to find a diplomatic way that these problems can be solved.

[00:04:41]That's always the president's preference. He would much rather have me and the Department of State solve this problem than the Department of War having to solve this problem. But, the problem's going to be solved one way or the other. So, we've made some progress over the last 48 hours working with our partners in the Gulf region on an outline that could ultimately, if it succeeds, leave us not just with a completely open straits, and I mean open straits without tolls, and with uh addressing some of the key uh things that underpin what has been Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions in the past. So, we think we've made some progress on the outline of something that, if it works, uh could could give us that outcome.

[00:05:24]Obviously, that will require full Iranian acceptance and then compliance, and it will require some future work on negotiating the details. When you're talking about a nuclear program as an example, these are highly technical matters, and the ones that would probably need to be addressed over any over some period of time. Uh on the issue of benefits that they could get from it and whatever domestic criticisms there may be, I don't think anyone's been tougher on the Iranian nuclear ambition than President Trump. Understand, okay?

[00:05:52]Again, I'm not I don't know what some of these individual comments have been from different sectors of our politics in the United States, but I will say this, there is no one who has been stronger on this issue than President Trump.

[00:06:03]Multiple political leaders, multiple presidents of the United States have all said the same thing, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The only one who's tried to do anything and has actually done anything about it in a real way has been President Trump. So, his commitment to that principle that they'll never have a nuclear weapon shouldn't be questioned by anybody. And the idea that somehow this president, given everything he's already proven he's willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd. That's just not going to happen. But our preference is to address this through a diplomatic means, and that's what we're endeavoring to do here. I think we've made some progress. I'm always cautious when I say that because you can agree to things on paper, they actually have to be implemented. You can agree to things in writing, and then you actually have to go out and do it.

[00:06:49]And but but I do think perhaps there is the possibility that over the next few hours the world will get some good news at least with regards to the straits and through and with regards to a process that can ultimately leave us where the president wants us to be, and that is a world that no longer has to be in fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon.

[00:07:10]And and and so I I I do think there's some good news on that front, but not final news on that front. But perhaps a little bit later today we'll have more to say, but but you know, we some progress has been made. I don't want to under I don't want to I don't want to downplay that, but I also want to caveat it by saying we still have some work to do. We'll see.

[00:08:01]>> [music] >> Oh.