A bizarre incident involving a Fox News host and the interim president of a foreign nation has become one of President Donald Trump’s favorite stories to tell, according to a new report.
The New York Times Saturday profiled Secretary of State Marco Rubio and revealed his growing power over Venezuela and the apparent pleasure it gives the president. This becomes evident when the Times details an Oval Office encounter between the two men.
“Mr. Rubio could be the next leader of Venezuela, Mr. Trump suggested,” according to the report. “And while the president’s aides say he was joking — and that he frequently teases Mr. Rubio about an overseas assignment — the fact is that Mr. Rubio does not need to move to Caracas.”
Rubio’s control over the foreign nation, whose leader, incumbent Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, the U.S. captured during a military strike on Jan. 3, has only grown, the Times reports.
Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president, now leads the country on an “acting basis” but with detailed instructions from Washington, according to the report.
The Times then detailed the backstory of a ‘”surprising” announcement, made before even the Venezuelan government could, that Rubio made about Rodríguez earlier this year.
Rubio announced she would would travel to India.
“When the Fox News anchor Bret Baier contacted Ms. Rodríguez about participating in an interview, she told him that Mr. Trump would have to approve,” the Times reports.
“Mr. Trump loved that Ms. Rodríguez was deferring to him, and has repeatedly recounted the story to others when they ask about her, according to multiple people familiar with his comments.”