Secretary of State Marco Rubio found himself at the center of an uncomfortable on-camera moment during the funeral for South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Video captured Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in what appeared to be an unusually animated interaction before Rubio seemed to notice the camera and subtly changed his body language.
The viral clip shows the two Trump administration officials speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle of the crowded room.
There is no audio, so the substance of the conversation cannot be confirmed. Still, the viral footage sparked a sharply divided debate over what viewers believe they witnessed.
Critics noted Netanyahu appears to be giving Rubio and Hegseth their marching orders as a new poll shows half the United States thinks Netanyahu should be arrested over Israel’s annihilation of the Gaza Strip.
It happened at the National Cathedral in Washington on Tuesday, July 28, as high profile guests, U.S. lawmakers, and foreign dignitaries gathered to say a final farewell to Graham.
Graham, a longtime Republican senator and foreign policy hawk, died on July 11 from an aortic dissection.
Netanyahu, a close ally of President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, was seen gesturing wildly, pointing his finger, waving his hand while talking intently with Rubio and Hegseth.
At one point the trio becomes aware a camera is trained on them.
A serious Hegseth barely acknowledges it, but Rubio is a different story.
The video captures Rubio, with an oddly bizarre, yet serious look on his face, turning away from Netanyahu, actually turning completely around in a full circle to try and see who’s taping him after realizing he’s being filmed.
Rubio immediately leans into Hegseth and appears to whisper something as the mood in the room shifts.
Social media exploded with wild speculation over Rubio’s body language and moves after he knows he’s being filmed.
“Yup, Bibi says ‘they’re watching’ and Ruby turns around. Not very slick, what a doofus,” a Threads user speculated.
This one agreed, “Marco Joobio did a 360 to look right at the camera. Check him out. They have been made aware that eyes are on them. Don’t act so guilty. Marky.”
Others piled on: “What does Israel have on us? Honestly this is insane it’s not even hiding at all anymore.”
Another also mentioned Rubio’s odd turn and lean toward Hegseth, “He leaned into Pete to tell him it was time to am-scray (scram).”
Netanyahu’s appearance at Graham’s funeral drew further attention to recent remarks by New York Mayor Zorhan Mamdani.
Earlier this month, Mamdani said he was exploring whether the city could arrest Netanyahu, before walking it back and calling on the federal government to do it.
A new Economist You/Gov poll shows support in the U.S. for Netanyahu’s government has dropped significantly.
Forty-nine percent of Americans agree with Mandani and believe Netanyahu should be arrested when he travels to New York in September to speak to the United Nations, according to USA Today. Another 27 percent rejected that idea.
The International Criminal Court, the top war crimes court which the Trump government does not recognize, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 after the Israeli military killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Many believe the death toll is much higher. The death and destruction in Gaza followed a Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 that killed 1,200 people.
Meantime Netanyahu reportedly confronted Vice President JD Vance during his visit this week over public statements Vance has made critical of Netanyahu and the Israeli government.
Axios reported on the meeting between Vance and Netanyahu at Blair House in Washington, citing officials who called the discussions “direct.” It follows increasing tensions and public disagreements between the two over Trump’s policy on Iran, according to Mediate.
To name just a few incidents between the pair, Vance repeatedly criticized Netanyahu in June accusing him of undermining the now useless Memorandum of Understanding between Trump and Iran, which Vance supported.
Vance went further, Mediaite reported, publicly telling Netanyahu he and the Israelis should “not be attacking the only powerful ally” Israel has “anywhere left in the entire world.”
Netanyahu responded by saying Israel has “many friends.”
Then in mid-July, Vance told podcaster Joe Rogan that he believes Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, are trying to direct Trump away from diplomacy in favor of a continuing conflict.
Trump and Israel launched an unapproved and deadly war on Iran on Feb. 28. Trump repeatedly said this war would be over in six weeks. The war is still raging five months later with no end in sight.
