Rubio Spokesperson Says US Is “Greatest Country on Earth Next to Israel”

State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce has sparked condemnation after a reporter unearthed an interview in which she said the U.S. is the best country on Earth “next to Israel,” in yet another show of U.S. leaders’ capitulation to Israel under a president who ran on the slogan “America First.”

“In the greatest country on Earth, next to Israel, it’s an honor to be able to make a difference,” Bruce told Israeli outlet i24NEWS in an interview, smiling. “Next to,” notably, is a phrase meaning adjacent to or immediately following.

The interview occurred in May, but the clip spread across social media on Sunday after it was posted by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein on X.

The statement is remarkable coming from the top spokesperson for the department responsible for conducting foreign affairs.

In response to the clip circulating online, Bruce told Newsweek that people were taking the comment out of context. “My work obviously speaks for itself, which is a reflection of my love for the United States, as I said in that interview, the greatest country on Earth. The assertion by certain anonymous users online is a typically out-of-context and absurd effort to create fake news for clicks and to smear,” she said.

It’s absurd for a spokesperson for one of the most powerful agencies in the world to complain about their comments being misconstrued, especially when social media posts have been directly quoting her.

The clip was posted with context by Klippenstein. The context surrounding Bruce’s comment doesn’t change its nature at all, with the remark coming in response to a question about her professional background as a conservative writer and Fox News correspondent.

Other comments made during the interview, in fact, even further demonstrate where her and the administration’s priorities lie. Speaking about and defending Israel is “the easiest thing in the world for me,” she said, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio feeling “very passionately” about the genocidal state.

“We have an obligation and a duty to make sure that people understand why Israel matters, why the Jewish people matter and why it is the responsibility of every person on this planet to recognize that,” Bruce went on.

Other actions taken by the Trump administration have shown the U.S.’s alliance to Israel over the American public. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has seemingly swayed Trump’s opinions on U.S. involvement in the Middle East massively, with Trump changing his tune on war with Iran in recent months, reports have said — leaving some commentators asking about whatever happened to “America First.”

War with Iran is extremely unpopular among the American public. Polling conducted around the time Israel launched its latest round of unprovoked strikes on Iran on June 13 found that 60 percent of Americans oppose U.S. involvement, with just 16 percent saying they support it. Majority opposition was seen across all party affiliations, with 53 percent of Republicans also opposing war.

War with Iran may prove extremely costly — at a time when the Trump administration is threatening to cut welfare benefits for tens of millions of Americans under the guise of saving money.

Israel is already estimated to be spending billions of dollars on the war. The cost to the U.S. is multiplied, and includes the costs of the U.S.’s equipment and bombs in airstrikes, the cost of the military helping Israel to shoot down Iranian attacks and the U.S.’s tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel.