Donald Trump humiliated himself Friday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to slyly pass him a note during a meeting with oil executives, and the president immediately read it aloud.
Trump was in the midst of promising “a very nice return” for executives from Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon, Halliburton, Valero, and Marathon—in exchange for a $100 billion investment in rebuilding Venezuela’s energy sector, when he was suddenly sidetracked by a scrap of paper from Rubio.
“You’re all gonna do very well—Marco just gave me a note. ‘Go back to Chevron, they want to discuss something,’” Trump read, turning to look at Chevron Vice Chairman Mark Nelson. “Go ahead, I’m going back to Chevron, Mark.”
Rubio grimaced uncomfortably, as Trump patted him on the back. “Thank you, Marco,” he said.
“Was there a question, Mr. President?” Nelson asked.
“Yes, go ahead Marco, what are you saying here?” Trump asked, inspecting the note again.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright jumped in. “Mark, if you could update us on operations on the ground, appropriate approvals, what you might be able to achieve in the next 12 to 18 months—give us a little view from the ground,” he said.
Marco Rubio hands Trump a note that was meant to be private and then Trump reads it aloud pic.twitter.com/IwJdl5CsF8
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 9, 2026
Nelson launched into a description of Chevron’s ground operations. Chevron is the only oil company currently operating in Venezuela, as part of a joint venture with Petróleos de Venezuela. Wright told CNBC Wednesday that the Trump administration was receiving “daily updates” from Chevron and working closely to “allow their model to grow even more.”
Trump’s gaffe was part of a larger trend of cognitive decline, as the aged president has spent the last year in office appearing to fall asleep during meetings and giving incoherent, confused rants.
Great Job Edith Olmsted & the Team @ The New Republic Source link for sharing this story.
