"Too Costly to Be Associated," Even Rumors of Resignation… Shaken by Election Defeat

[Anchor]

Right after a crushing defeat in the midterm elections, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a closest aide to President Trump, began distancing himself, and now rumors of the resignation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been raised. The possibility of a mass exodus of key figures is growing within the Trump administration, which faces an early lame duck period.

This is correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam in Washington.

[Reporter]

The UK-based Independent reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is frequently mentioned as a potential next presidential candidate for the Republican Party, "is likely to resign from the Trump administration following the midterm election defeat."

An aide to Rubio conveyed that "it is only natural for Secretary Rubio to leave" and that "getting entangled with the Trump administration will only harm his chances of winning the presidency."

Adding to this, Bloomberg reported that the resignation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio is under consideration, though the State Department flatly denied it.

Following Vice President JD Vance drawing a line from Trump a day earlier, and now with the resignation rumors surrounding Secretary Rubio, the White House attempted to contain the fallout by dismissing it as "fake news," but the impact has not subsided.

[CNN : Some (Republicans) are echoing Vice President JD Vance's claims, criticizing the Iran war started by the Trump administration.]

In the end, Secretary Rubio had to personally clarify that he plans to stay together until the end of Trump's term.

However, as Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice who spearheaded the midterm election poll-watching operations, stepped down—becoming the first high-ranking official in the Trump administration to do so—speculation is gaining traction that a mass exodus of key figures has begun.

Even within the conservative camp, people have begun openly discussing Trump's lame duck status.

[Tucker Carlson / Conservative Commentator : Without exaggeration or embellishment, one can say the Trump era is over.]

As the Wall Street Journal reported that discussions are even underway to replace White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the aftershocks of the midterm election defeat continue.

(Camera: Oh Jung-shik, Video Editing: Cho Mu-hwan, Design: Byun Dayoung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.