Trump and Rubio Hold Cabinet Meeting at Camp David as Iran War Enters New Phase With No Endgame in Sight
President says Iran is "negotiating on fumes" and vows midterms will not affect his strategy, as Rubio reaffirms diplomatic preference while warning of "other options," and Trump's approval rating hits a record low of 32 percent
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Kurdistan 24) - President Donald Trump convened the 13th Cabinet meeting of his second term at Camp David on Friday. gathering his top advisers at the historic 180-acre presidential retreat in Maryland to chart a path forward in the Iran war, a conflict he promised would end in "weeks" but which has now stretched five months with no endgame in sight.
As the National News Desk reported on Friday, the agenda focused heavily on foreign policy, with the Iran war dominating discussions. Trump asserted during the meeting that Iran is "negotiating on fumes," expressing confidence in reaching a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reduce Iran's nuclear capabilities, while simultaneously emphasizing that the approaching midterm elections, now less than 100 days away, would not influence his strategy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington's preference for a negotiated resolution. "We prefer the negotiated diplomatic route, and we're going to give it every chance to succeed," Rubio said, adding that Trump has "other options available" if diplomacy does not work. Trump followed with a characteristically pointed elaboration, gesturing toward Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: "If Iran did not give the US what it demanded, the man on my left is going to finish them off."
As MS NOW reported on Friday, the Camp David meeting took place against the backdrop of an Iran war that has expanded significantly since the last Cabinet meeting in May. Trump said at that time that a peace deal was "largely negotiated." Instead, the conflict has escalated across the region in recent weeks, producing American casualties, renewed Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, joint US-Saudi strikes on Iranian proxy targets in Iraq, and an IRGC ballistic missile barrage against US forces in Jordan. The Pentagon has been accused of obfuscating those losses after it quietly removed four fallen service members and hundreds of injuries from the casualty count for Operation Epic Fury, instead classifying them under "Overseas Operations."
Trump's approval rating has fallen to a record low of 32 percent, according to the latest Quinnipiac poll, as the human and economic costs of the conflict accumulate. Brent crude oil briefly surged above $100 a barrel on Wednesday, July 29, for the first time since May. US economic growth has slowed, and inflation remains stuck above the Federal Reserve's target rate of 2 percent, adding a domestic economic dimension to the political pressure the administration is managing as the midterms approach.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had told reporters last week that the Camp David Cabinet meeting "will be a lot of fun and something different for the Cabinet to experience together," framing the retreat as a break from the White House routine. The setting, one of the most historically freighted locations in American presidential history, has hosted some of the most consequential foreign policy deliberations of the past century, from the Carter-era Middle East peace framework to Cold War summits with allied leaders.
Camp David also carries particular resonance for the Iran conflict specifically. It was at a Camp David-style leadership retreat that Trump's administration first began developing the framework that became the 20-Point Plan, the document that now forms the basis of both the Gaza disarmament agreement announced Thursday and the broader regional architecture Washington is seeking to build around a potential Iran settlement.
As the Hill confirmed on Friday, Trump faces a daunting challenge heading into the meeting: resolving a conflict it started with Israel before the ripple effects produce further economic damage in the Gulf region and at home, all while managing a Congress increasingly anxious about the midterm implications of a war with no defined endpoint, and a region where, as one senior Arab official directly involved in diplomatic efforts told NBC News on Friday, "it's only getting crazier."
| BRIEF: President Trump held his 13th Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, focusing on the Iran war as his approval rating hit a record low 32 percent. Rubio reaffirmed the preference for diplomacy while Trump warned of escalation options, saying Iran is "negotiating on fumes" and that midterms would not affect his strategy. |