Rubio Unironically Says Iran Should Spend Money on Its People, Not on Military

Trump's administration isn't capable of self-reflection. (Literally, in Stephen Miller's case, since Miller's an undead Nazi vampire from WW2 that Trump summoned from the netherworld.)

*This is after all, the unironic administration.* "The Trump administration has requested a record-shattering $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget and $200 billion for the war." "Secretary of State Marco Rubio lectured Iran in interviews this week, saying that the country should be spending money on supporting its people rather than on weapons and militaristic causes — an ironic statement coming from an administration that has gutted the U.S.’s social safety net while requesting a record-shattering Pentagon budget." “Imagine an Iran that, instead of spending their wealth, billions of dollars, supporting terrorists or weapons, had spent that money helping the people of Iran,” [said](https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/03/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-with-george-stephanopoulos-of-abc-good-morning-america) Rubio, speaking of the administration’s hopes for regime change in their war in an interview on *ABC*’s “Good Morning America” on Monday. “You’d have a much different country. So we are always hopeful that that would exist over there.” "He repeated that sentiment in an interview with *Al Jazeera* that same day, [adding that](https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/03/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-with-hashem-ahelbarra-of-al-jazeera) the country “wouldn’t have water shortages” and that their economy “would provide opportunities for an incredible people.” His statements ignore that the U.S.’s strict, decades-old sanctions regime is responsible [for over $1 trillion](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/21/us-sanctions-inflicted-1-trillion-damage-on-irans-economy-fm) in damages to Iran’s economy, Iranian officials have said." "They also ignore that, the same day as Rubio’s interviews, [President Donald Trump threatened](https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-threat-desalination-plants-war-f624bed66bee79f68454d581ae1d624a) to destroy “all desalinization\[*sic*\] plants” in Iran, which would threaten crucial water infrastructure for the country and [constitute a clear war crime](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/30/trump-threatens-to-blow-up-all-desalination-plants-in-iran), experts have said." "Rubio’s comments are highly hypocritical coming from a top official in an administration that, with Republicans in Congress, enacted sweeping cuts to some of the most crucial anti-poverty programs in the U.S., Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, kicking millions off their benefits last year." "Top House Republicans [are reportedly](https://www.axios.com/2026/03/30/gop-health-care-pay-iran-war) looking to enact even further cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies in order to fund the Trump administration’s request for $200 billion [in supplemental Pentagon funding for its war](https://truthout.org/articles/trump-asks-for-taxpayers-to-shell-out-200b-to-fund-his-deadly-cost-raising-war/). These cuts could cause 300,000 more people to lose their health insurance, on top of the 16 million people estimated to lose their coverage due to the Republican cuts last year." "The U.S. and Israel’s war is also causing prices for oil and gas to skyrocket globally — which [affects nearly every industry](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/29/americans-struggling-rising-costs-iran-war), with price hikes being passed on to consumers." "Rubio’s comment is also hypocritical considering that this administration has denounced [socialist countries](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/30/rubio-denies-us-punitive-actions-blames-cuba-for-economic-failures) that maintain anti-poverty programs, as well as his [previous remarks](https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/problem-marco-rubio-s-misplaced-interest-marxism-n1280557) criticizing proposals to fund public programs when he was in the Senate."

And then today, Trump rambles about how we don't have money to spend on Americans because we need the money for war.

"That's what fundamentalism breeds, no irony." - Bill Hicks

Give little Marco a break, he has big shoes to fill.

Do these people have to practice in front of a mirror to be able to say this shit without laughing?

Rubio's comments fundamentally ignore the elephant in the room. Instability, caused by bombs, dropped by the United states. And then you get into the media narratives, pretending that bombing schools, residential buildings is somehow justifiable. Or a noble goal. No. Never is. Never was. Iran has the right to defend itself. They continue to bully this country in the Middle east, for their genocidal land grab ambitions. If that country builds up their military, I see it as entirely defensive. They were capitulating a lot during those final hours of negotiation before you killed all their negotiators, attacked their leadership. It's simple arithmetic really. The pen, mightier than the sword.

You don’t have to like Iran to point out that they’re being constantly attacking by Israel and the US which necessitates their military spending. Meanwhile the US also spends a shit ton on weapons and soldiers yet has the world’s largest economy proving his own point invalid

Trump's Operation Epstein Flop will add another trillion to US debt and all it's done was destroy $12 trillion in worldwide equity.

So should we.

well, *someone* should

We should spend money on the people and not the military.

The jokes write themselves

hes so close to getting it.

Can he go back to whatever rancid hookers snatch he crawled out of already

Sure... Trump just said he is going to "bomb Iran into the stone age" with all the power and force of the US military... if Iran doesn't fund it's military, there will be no more Iranian civilization, one of the crown jewels of Earth.

It isn't the blatant hypocrisy. It isn't the total lack of self-awareness. It isn't the constant mendacity. It isn't the tone deaf messaging. It's knowing that he is doing all this while wearing shoes he is afraid to take off because he will be punished if he takes them off. The other stuff he does without consequences. But the shoes, they stay on. There is a lesson here somewhere.

:When you walk THROUGH the point:

*Everyone else in the world just stares unflinchingly at Rubio, in complete silence*

Most countries around the world already have universal healthcare. What is this idiot blathering about?

Republicans weigh cutting health care to pay for the Iran war.   [https://www.axios.com/2026/03/30/gop-health-care-pay-iran-war](https://www.axios.com/2026/03/30/gop-health-care-pay-iran-war)

What I'm hearing is that he's mad that they knew they'd be attacked and effectively prepared to defend themselves, and wishes they were more helpless.

How do you go through life thinking “How can I be a bigger clown today than yesterday?”

the hypocrisy and projection of this us administration is out of this world

Hypocrisy at it’s highest level.

Bruh

He said this with no sense of irony?

What a concept!

Immediately followed by Trump addressing the public and saying that we can’t afford to pay for things like daycare and healthcare, etc. only military.

I don’t get how a radical Islamic regime that killed at least 30k of its own people recently and has lied about their nuclear and ballistic missile programs for years being told to spend its money on its people instead of it’s military is a bad thing. Their government tanked their economy, and funds unrest in all of its neighboring countries, so you’re going to have to defend the past few years where they misused their own natural resources like water, and maybe then they can be considered for admission back into the world marketplace, but how many drones and mussels do they have before the first supreme leader went kaboom? We know a number because they fired most of them off already, and anything left is scheduled for disposal in the next few weeks. Criticism is due for sure and I don’t like being involved in any kind of war, but I won’t defend anything Iran does or was trying to do.