Marco Rubio Reveals Bizarre ‘Death’ Scare Aboard Air Force One
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revealed an unusual incident aboard Air Force One that left some of the nation’s highest-ranking officials unsure what they should do.
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.
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.
“We spent about 90 minutes sort of debating should we make a move?” Rubio recalled.
“Should I call the doc?” he continued.
“Should we deal with this?” Rubio asked as he recounted the bizarre situation.
According to Rubio, the officials hesitated because waking someone who was merely enjoying an unusually deep sleep could create an embarrassing situation.
“Because it’s embarrassing if you wake them up,” Rubio said, imagining the person responding, “Oh, I was just sleeping.”
The alternative, however, was considerably more serious.
“But if they were dead, like what do you do?” Rubio said.
“You have a dead body on the plane,” he continued.
“Who’s going to — what do you deal with that?” Rubio asked.
Rubio said the person had slept through “a lot of noise” and was not “responding to any of the stimulus,” which made those around the individual increasingly concerned.
He also said “the breathing pattern was difficult,” adding another reason for the officials to wonder whether something might be seriously wrong.
Despite their concerns, nobody apparently summoned the physician or attempted to wake the individual during the approximately 90-minute deliberation.
Eventually, the mystery resolved itself without anyone having to make the decision.
“Luckily, the person was fine,” Rubio said.
Rubio did not reveal who the unusually deep sleeper was, and there has been no confirmation from another official identifying the person.
That omission inevitably prompted speculation on social media about who might have been aboard the aircraft.
“The person was probably Mitch McConnell,” one person speculated on X.
Another user jokingly suggested someone should tell Rubio, “I would’ve just woken him up I don’t care… who cares if it’s embarrassing.”
There is no evidence supporting any of the identities suggested online, and Rubio himself offered no clue establishing who the person was.
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.
“Secretary Rubio, have you been at more than one meeting where President Trump has fallen asleep?” Democratic California Rep. Ted Lieu asked.
“I’ve never seen him fall asleep,” Rubio responded.
“On the contrary, the guy doesn’t sleep, which is a big problem,” Rubio added.
Rubio said Trump’s schedule keeps administration officials busy and noted that the president contacts him early in the morning.
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.
“Secretary Rubio, I’m going to show you, in a moment, a video that shows you just lied to Congress,” Lieu said.
Rubio maintained that he had never witnessed Trump fall asleep, and no formal congressional action related to Lieu’s accusation has been reported.
The identity of the person involved in Rubio’s 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.
Rubio nevertheless appeared to view the entire episode with humor now that he knows there was no medical emergency.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
