Rubio continues his diplomatic mission
Before traveling to the Vatican, Rubio insisted the visit had long been planned, while acknowledging that “obviously we had some stuff that happened.”
Rubio also defended Trump, arguing the President’s comments had been misunderstood.
“What the President basically said is that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon because they would use it against places that have a lot of Catholics, and Christians, and others,” Rubio said.
Millies told TIME the dispute comes at a politically sensitive moment for Republicans ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
“For most Catholics, having the President of the United States attack the Pope over and over in this pointed way, pushes a button. It excites a reaction, and the reaction is not one that’s going to play well for President Trump or for the Republican Party,” he said.
The trip also represented a political test for Rubio himself, who is widely viewed as a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028.