Sometimes diplomacy is theater — and this week, Marco Rubio played the role of stagehand.

During a White House roundtable with conservative influencers, Rubio quietly passed President Donald Trump a handwritten note that said, “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”

Moments later, Trump posted that Israel and Hamas had signed off on the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal.

The exchange was photographed by The Associated Press, turning what should have been a private nudge into a public moment. But the White House leaned into the spectacle, posting side-by-side photos (one of the note moment, one of former President Joe Biden getting a note) with the caption, “We are not the same.”

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