Rubio nevertheless appeared to view the entire episode with humor now that he knows there was no medical emergency.<\/p>\n
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revealed an unusual incident aboard Air Force One that left some of the nation\u2019s highest-ranking officials unsure what they should do.<\/p>\n
For approximately an hour and a half, Rubio and others reportedly debated whether to intervene as an unidentified person remained completely motionless despite the activity happening around them.<\/p>\n
Rubio revealed during an appearance on the Katie Miller Podcast that he and other officials returning from China spent approximately 90 minutes wondering whether a person sleeping in an Air Force One conference room might actually be dead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe spent about 90 minutes sort of debating should we make a move?\u201d Rubio recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould I call the doc?\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould we deal with this?\u201d Rubio asked as he recounted the bizarre situation.<\/p>\n
According to Rubio, the officials hesitated because waking someone who was merely enjoying an unusually deep sleep could create an embarrassing situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s embarrassing if you wake them up,\u201d Rubio said, imagining the person responding, \u201cOh, I was just sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n
The alternative, however, was considerably more serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if they were dead, like what do you do?\u201d Rubio said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a dead body on the plane,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s going to \u2014 what do you deal with that?\u201d Rubio asked.<\/p>\n
Rubio said the person had slept through \u201ca lot of noise\u201d and was not \u201cresponding to any of the stimulus,\u201d which made those around the individual increasingly concerned.<\/p>\n
He also said \u201cthe breathing pattern was difficult,\u201d adding another reason for the officials to wonder whether something might be seriously wrong.<\/p>\n
Despite their concerns, nobody apparently summoned the physician or attempted to wake the individual during the approximately 90-minute deliberation.<\/p>\n
Eventually, the mystery resolved itself without anyone having to make the decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuckily, the person was fine,\u201d Rubio said.<\/p>\n
Rubio did not reveal who the unusually deep sleeper was, and there has been no confirmation from another official identifying the person.<\/p>\n
That omission inevitably prompted speculation on social media about who might have been aboard the aircraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person was probably Mitch McConnell,\u201d one person speculated on X.<\/p>\n
Another user jokingly suggested someone should tell Rubio, \u201cI would\u2019ve just woken him up I don\u2019t care\u2026 who cares if it\u2019s embarrassing.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is no evidence supporting any of the identities suggested online, and Rubio himself offered no clue establishing who the person was.<\/p>\n
The anecdote also attracted attention because Rubio was questioned about another sleeping-related controversy during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing approximately a month earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecretary Rubio, have you been at more than one meeting where President Trump has fallen asleep?\u201d Democratic California Rep. Ted Lieu asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen him fall asleep,\u201d Rubio responded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the contrary, the guy doesn\u2019t sleep, which is a big problem,\u201d Rubio added.<\/p>\n
Rubio said Trump\u2019s schedule keeps administration officials busy and noted that the president contacts him early in the morning.<\/p>\n
Lieu challenged that answer and said he had video from a cabinet meeting that he believed showed Trump with his eyes closed while Rubio was speaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecretary Rubio, I\u2019m going to show you, in a moment, a video that shows you just lied to Congress,\u201d Lieu said.<\/p>\n
Rubio maintained that he had never witnessed Trump fall asleep, and no formal congressional action related to Lieu\u2019s accusation has been reported.<\/p>\n
The identity of the person involved in Rubio\u2019s Air Force One story remains a mystery, along with the exact date of the flight and the identities of the other officials who participated in the discussion.<\/p>\n Rubio nevertheless appeared to view the entire episode with humor now that he knows there was no medical emergency.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n