US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent much of yesterday denying reports that he plans to resign to run for the presidency in 2028. ‘I love the work I’m doing,’ Rubio said. ‘And plus, I always laugh when they say he’s going to leave his job. I go, “Which one?”’ But if Rubio bolts, might his replacement be Melania Trump?
The notion isn’t as outlandish as it might seem. For one thing, Melania wouldn’t be the first émigré to occupy the post. Henry Kissinger fled Nazi Germany to become Richard Nixon’s National Security adviser and Secretary of State. He spent much of his tenure pushing for détente with the Soviet Union. Melania, who emigrated to America from Slovenia, seems intent on similar diplomatic endeavours.
She appeared yesterday at the White House to tout the limited ceasefire that she worked to arrange for the Ukrainian town of Oleshky. Flanked by Russian and Ukrainian officials, the First Lady indicated that she hoped that the agreement would ‘inspire greater peace’. Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev conveyed Russian president Vladimir Putin’s personal thanks for her ‘distinguished humanitarian role’. Not to be outdone, Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets bestowed the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class, upon her on behalf of President Volodymyr Zelensky. For her part, Melania handed personal letters to the Russian and Ukrainian representatives to deliver to Putin and Zelensky but did not offer any hints about their contents.
Trump’s powers have been clipped at home and abroad
President Trump, whom Melania did not mention during her remarks about the protracted negotiations, was more expansive. After meeting with Dmitriev, he indulged in a spasm of moral equivalence. Consistent with his penchant for defending Putin, he explained that both sides were causing civilian casualties. Trump also divulged that there is going to be a peace deal, at least if he has his way. ‘It’s going to be a big agreement, and it’s going to involve more than Ukraine,’ he said:
I could even say it might involve all of Europe. It’s going to be a big, beautiful agreement, and everyone’s going to be thrilled.
Yeah, right. Trump may harbour the delusion that he can preside over a fully-fledged peace agreement, but his powers have been clipped at home and abroad. In a post on X, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner noted that the United States will convene the first trilateral peace discussions with Ukraine and Russia since February and that ‘all parties remain intensely engaged in preparing for substantive and productive negotiations.’ But given the Russian dictator’s repeated demands that his troops conquer Ukraine, the prospects for serious negotiations appear to be virtually nil – and the notion that European governments will accede to the kind of discreditable spheres of influence deal that Trump and his janissaries fancy is wholly implausible.
Make no mistake: in the aftermath of his crushing defeat in the midterm elections this week, Trump’s leverage has dissipated. Something similar is occurring in the Middle East, where Iranians have been celebrating the GOP’s stinging loss. Trump could lash out at Iran militarily but doesn’t appear to have the stomach for further conflict.
Already the right is breaking with him. On social media, Texas Senator Ted Cruz declared that ‘the Iran war has dragged on too long.’ Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who continues to view himself as presidential timber, directly blamed Trump for the midterm losses:
This midterm, no question, was a rebuke of the president and the Congress by Democrats, independents and some Republicans that crossed over.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Trump administration is frantically working to prevent further conservative defections. The White House Office of Public Liaison issued a memo to over 3,000 conservative organisations that ended with a not-so-veiled threat: ‘As always, we are monitoring statements, press releases, and media engagements from your organisations.’
Once upon a time such a declaration might have had conservative think tanks hearing footsteps in the dark. No longer. The era of LAT – ‘Life After Trump’ – has dawned. The only person who doesn’t seem to recognise it is Trump himself.
Even as the Democrats gear up to roll back his tariffs and investigate his administration, Trump’s focus was on something else: shielding his ghastly makeover of the Oval Office in gold from future presidents. While signing a proclamation yesterday declaring it a national monument, Trump claimed that:
We’re making it a national monument, and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people in order to build something in a slightly different shape.
He even vowed to return from retirement to enforce his edict if necessary. But given his goofy statements and behaviour, the most pressing question is whether the President of the United States is even all there right now.
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