Marco Rubio Sits Down For An Actual Intelligent Interview

Posted • February 21, 2025: On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio took time out of his busy travel schedule to sit down for an interview with Margaret Brennan of CBS. He was met with stupid questions about how free speech "irritates our allies" and how Nazis used free speech to conduct genocide. We all learned nothing and instead were forced to watch him teach this poor woman basic history. But on Thursday, Rubio sat down for another interview, this time with someone a bit more intelligent. Catherine Herridge worked for Fox New for a long time before spending a few years at CBS. Now, the Emmy winner is an independent journalist who works largely through social media and her platform on X. According to her bio, her goal is "Telling the stories I could not tell before, where the facts have a power all their own." When I saw that she was releasing a "full and unedited" interview with Rubio, I knew I had to tune in.

Not only did I want to hear what he had to say when asked real, meaningful questions — I've always been a fan of Herridge's reporting — but I also think it's incredible that one of the most powerful men in the world sat down for a major interview with an independent journalist who would release it on a social media platform. Take that, mainstream media. […] I can't say enough how awesome it is that this administration is so transparent and accessible. We used to go weeks without seeing Joe Biden, and now it's rare we go hours without seeing Donald Trump. Anyway, the two hit all the major foreign policy topics: Russia, Ukraine, China, Hamas, nuclear Iran, USAID, cartels, foreign gangs, and even the origins of COVID-19. I'm writing this article about an hour and a half after Herridge posted the interview. I'm sure others, including some of my colleagues here at PJ Media, will pick the interview apart and explore some of these topics deeper on Friday, but here are some of the highlights that stood out to me.

Rubio condemned Hamas, calling them "evil" and claiming there will never be peace in Gaza as long as Hamas exists. He said many of our partners in the Middle East do not like Trump's ideas for the region, so they've been to told to come up with a better one, and the United States will help. He, once again, disproved the liberal talking point that stopping foreign aid means no more humanitarian support. "We also issued a blanket waiver for emergency humanitarian support, food, medicine, housing, things where there's a crisis somewhere in the world," he told Herridge, adding that countries can also apply for waivers for programs they feel are important or if they align with the interests of the United States. So far, 250 have been approved. Rubio gave a real-world example of a waiver for a training program in Guatemala that teaches authorities how to recognize and intercept fentanyl distribution before it reaches drug dealers. "An America First State Department is not an America only State Department," he said. (…)

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https://pjmedia.com/sarah-anderson/2025/02/21/marco-rubio-sits-down-for-an-actual-intelligent-interview-n4937188