The Japan Times - An urgent note, a whisper -- and a Gaza deal long sought by Trump

Something was obviously going on when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made an unexpected appearance during a roundtable at the White House on the left-wing Antifa movement on Wednesday.

"By the way, we have Marco Rubio. Marco, come on up here please," Trump said, beckoning him over to his side of the White House's State Dining Room. "Anything we should know about the Middle East?"

There was. But the scrupulously low-key Rubio was not about to do it in public.

"That's what we're hoping to talk to you about Mr President, once they leave," said Rubio, pointing to journalists and eliciting a laugh from the 79-year-old Trump.

What followed next was history playing out in real time -- an extraordinary moment even for a reality TV star-turned-president with a flair for showmanship.

With reporters watching carefully for signs about the progress of the Israel-Hamas peace talks in Egypt, Rubio took a seat vacated by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and briefly gave Trump the thumbs up.

The top US diplomat then reached over and took a pen and a White House notepad from Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to his right.

While Trump answered a question about "cutting the head off the snake" of Antifa, Rubio scribbled for nearly a minute as Miller leaned over to look.

- 'Very close' -

Rubio then showed the note to Miller, and leaned over to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, seated on Miller's right. The three of them consulted briefly together before Rubio tore off a sheet of paper.

Seconds later, Rubio reached behind the back of US Attorney General Pam Bondi as she answered another reporter's question, and handed Trump the piece of paper.

As the cameras rolled, Trump sat back in his chair and read the note for 10 seconds, with an approving nod.

Rubio then got up and went over to Trump and whispered in his ear, with his hand covering his mouth.

It was perhaps the most notable presidential whisper since George W. Bush's chief of staff Andy Card interrupted him during an event at a Florida school to tell him that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

"Ok," said Trump as Rubio went back to his seat, motioning for reporters to be quiet as they shouted questions.

"I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we're very close to a deal in the Middle East and they're going to need me pretty quickly, so we'll take a couple more questions."

Reporters could not immediately see what the note said. But photographs, including an AFP picture, later revealed the contents of Rubio's history-making note to the president.

"Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first," it said, referring to Trump's social network.

The words "very close" were underlined twice.

- 'Blessed are the peacemakers' -

At the end, Rubio stood waiting for Trump, who shook hands with the roundtable attendees on his way out as the clock ticked.

Images later shared by the White House showed the urgency of the moment.

Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Rubio and Wiles strode purposefully through the Rose Garden colonnade towards the Oval Office as they made the final preparations to announce the deal, in a video posted on social media by Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino.

Almost exactly two hours after Rubio's intervention, Trump's Truth Social finally went out.

"BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!" it proclaimed.

H.Nakamura--JT