E-Paper
Did Trump ignore Ted Cruz mid-speech? President seen whispering to Rubio at White House event
At a roundtable on college sports, President Trump leaned toward Marco Rubio while Ted Cruz spoke.
President Donald Trump appeared to turn his attention away from Ted Cruz during a White House roundtable on college sports on Friday, leaning over to whisper to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the Texas senator spoke.
The brief exchange occurred during a televised discussion on potential reforms involving the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Cruz interjects during Trump’s remarks
The moment began when Cruz interrupted Trump while he was speaking.
“Mr. President,” Cruz said.
“Yeah, please,” Trump replied, turning toward him.
Cruz again said, “Mr. President,” after which Trump looked down at the table and greeted him briefly: “Hi, Ted.”
Also Read: ‘Trump was jealous, washed money’: 5 bombshell claims made in latest Epstein files release
Cruz then spoke for roughly 20 seconds about issues related to cancellations of college sports programs. As he continued, Trump appeared to shift his focus and leaned toward Rubio, whispering to him while Cruz was still delivering his remarks.
Clips of the interaction spread on social media, with some users questioning whether the president was ignoring Cruz mid-speech. However, there is no confirmation that Trump was dismissing the senator. The nature of the exchange with Rubio was not clear.
Political leaders attend sports roundtable
Although the discussion centered on college athletics policy, several senior political leaders attended the meeting.
At one point, House Speaker Mike Johnson apologized to Trump after a document mistakenly displayed Johnson’s image and name at the top instead of the president’s.
Rubio also addressed the gathering. “What a unique institution college athletics is to the United States. Very few countries in the world actually have something like what we have,” Rubio said. “And it's not just unique, it's really important.”
Also Read: 'No deal except...': Trump's 'MIGA' message for Iran as war enters Day-7
Iran conflict
The meeting took place as the United States and Israel continue military operations targeting Iran, a conflict that has raised concerns about regional stability and global trade.
Reports cited by media outlets indicate that at least 1,230 people in Iran have been killed since the initial strikes began.
Footage from C-SPAN showed that Trump did not address the Iran conflict at the start of Friday’s roundtable, despite discussing US actions in Iran at several other White House events earlier in the week.
After the meeting, Trump declined to answer reporters’ questions about the conflict and his decision to remove Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, according to The Associated Press.
