Trump’s Sec of State Marco Rubio Brutally Mocked His Gaza Peace Plans: ‘Not A Real Estate Deal, Donald!’

President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will be in charge of selling his new boss’s radical proposal that the US “takeover” and rebuild Gaza to allies in the Middle East, once brutally mocked Trump’s ability to negotiate a peace deal during a Republican presidential primary debate in 2016.

Standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a White House press conference Tuesday, Trump declared that Palestinians there would have “no choice but to leave” in an unprecedented move that would see the US take control of the territory and rebuild it.

Neighboring Egypt and Jordan almost immediately rejected the idea of taking in Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents, while several other Arab states also voiced fierce opposition.

In a throwback to 2016, however, the man that needs to do the hard business of converting neighboring countries to the plan expressed major skepticism — even jibing at the future president for viewing the complex issue as a “real estate deal.”

On the night CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer asked candidates about their stance on Israel, Trump said:

As president, however, there’s nothing that I would rather do to bring peace to Israel and its neighbors generally. And I think it serves no purpose to say that you have a good guy and a bad guy.

Now, I may not be successful in doing it. It’s probably the toughest negotiation anywhere in the world of any kind. OK? But it doesn’t help if I start saying, “I am very pro-Israel, very pro, more than anybody on this stage.” But it doesn’t do any good to start demeaning the neighbors, because I would love to do something with regard to negotiating peace, finally, for Israel and for their neighbors.

And I can’t do that as well — as a negotiator, I cannot do that as well if I’m taking big, big sides. With that being said, I am totally pro-Israel.

Eventually, the subject of violence in the region and Palestinians’ demand for an independent state was also raised, which Trump confidently believed he could manage but which Rubio hit back on.

TRUMP: I’m a negotiator. I’ve done very well over the years through negotiation. It’s very important that we do that. In all fairness, Marco is not a negotiator. I watched him melt down and I’ll tell you, it was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen. He’s not going down — excuse me —

RUBIO: He thinks a Palestinian is a real estate deal.

TRUMP: — wait a minute, and these people may even be tougher than Chris Christie. OK?

RUBIO: The Palestinians are not a real estate deal, Donald.

TRUMP: OK, no, no, no — a deal is a deal. Let me tell you that. I learned a long time ago.

RUBIO: A deal is not a deal when you’re dealing with terrorists. Have you ever negotiated with terrorists?

TRUMP: You are not a negotiator. You are not a negotiator. (APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: And, with your thinking, you will never bring peace. You will never bring peace —

RUBIO: — Donald, might be able to (INAUDIBLE) Palestinians and Arabs, but it’s not a real estate deal —

TRUMP: — Excuse me, I want to be able to bring peace —

BLITZER: — Senator.

TRUMP: He will never be able to do it. I think I may be able to do it, although I will say this. Probably the toughest deal of any kind is that particular deal.

Now, Rubio is not just in on the deal but its chief negotiator.

Watch above via CNN.