AdvertisementAdvertisementA note (left) written by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that was handed to President Donald Trump during a roundtable meeting at the White House, and Trump holding the note Rubio handed to him, on Oct 8, 2025, in Washington. (Photos: AP/Evan Vucci)09 Oct 2025 04:32PM (Updated: 09 Oct 2025 04:50PM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump was holding a roundtable event with conservative influencers about antifa on Wednesday (Oct 8) when Secretary of State Marco Rubio, standing in the back corner of the White House’s Blue Room, caught his eye.He had news for Trump, he said, but it would have to wait until after the media left. Then Rubio passed the president a note.An AP photographer covering the event zoomed in on the handwriting on White House stationery that read: “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”“I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we’re very close to a deal on the Middle East, and they’re gonna need me pretty quickly,” Trump said. “So we’ll take a couple of more questions.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio writes a note before handing it to President Donald Trump during a roundtable meeting on antifa in the State Dining Room at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)US Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers to President Donald Trump, who is holding the note Rubio handed to him, during a roundtable meeting on antifa in the State Dining Room at the White House on Oct 8, 2025, in Washington. (Photo: AP/Evan Vucci)The influencer event had already been going on for more than an hour when Rubio first approached. The president invited him to come in, and Rubio whispered something to Trump before handing him the note.Trump had kicked off the influencer event by telling assembled journalists that he planned to travel to the Middle East “toward the end of the week” and could even “make the rounds” in the region to Egypt and possibly the Gaza Strip as US negotiators closed in on a deal.Still, even after Rubio passed Trump the note, the president continued to talk to the influencers and take questions from the media as the secretary of state became visibly anxious.Nearly 10 minutes after his initial comments about leaving, Trump said: “I have to go now to try and solve some problems in the Middle East - although I’m very well represented by our secretary of state. He could probably do an even better job than me, but who knows?”“We don’t want to take any chances. So we’re going to go and do that,” Trump added.He then suggested Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stay and take questions in his absence. However, Trump continued to take questions before the event finally broke up without Cabinet members remaining behind.“We’re gonna get peace in the Middle East,” Trump wrapped up by saying. “That’s what we want to do.”The public did not have to wait all too long for the formal confirmation. At 6.51pm - just about two hours after Rubio initially passed Trump the note - the president triumphantly took to his social media platform for the announcement.“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, saying that means all hostages will be released “very soon” while Israel will withdraw their troops “to an agreed upon line”.Trump added: “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”How Donald Trump pulled off his Gaza dealTrump’s Gaza deal: What we know so farSource: AP/rlSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST