Rubio Defends Trump's Iran Decision: Presidents Are Elected to Do the Hard Things

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Donald Trump's actions against Iran on Sunday, saying presidents are elected to take on difficult but necessary decisions even when those decisions may be unpopular.

"I think the president took on something that other presidents have failed to do," Rubio said in remarks shared by the Department of State. "Sometimes, when you do the right thing, you don't know whether it's popular or not, but it's still the right thing to do."

"Presidents are elected to take on the hard things, sometimes difficult things, but necessary things," he added.

The remarks came as Rubio spoke to reporters before traveling to France. Fox News reported that his defense of Trump's Iran policy centered on confronting a national-security threat that previous presidents had failed to address.

The statements are Rubio's defense of the administration's policy, not an announcement of a new military operation. The Department of State posted the clip Sunday afternoon; Breaking911 recirculated it later that evening.