Read the full transcript: Secretary of State Marco Rubio interviewed by ‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor Tom Llamas

Trump administrationRead the full transcript: Secretary of State Marco Rubio interviewed by ‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor Tom LlamasRubio spoke about Iran, Taiwan, Cuba and more in a May 2026 interview during President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Add NBC News to GoogleMarco Rubio says 'we're not asking for China's help' with Iran20:55Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 14, 2026, 11:17 PM EDTTOM LLAMASSubscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.OK, Mr. Secretary, we thank you so much for your time.SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO:Thank you.TOM LLAMAS:I do want to start by asking you—are you surprised that you’re even here in China as a U.S. senator? You know, you were sanctioned by China because of what you said talking about China’s record when it came to human rights abuses. You have never shied away from that. Do you still feel the same way now that you’re in this country?SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO:Yeah, I mean, the difference is my job now is no longer just to be a Senator. My job is a different job. I’m the chief diplomat of the country, and I execute on the President’s foreign policy.The second thing I would say is, irrespective of that, even in my time in the Senate, I would always acknowledge that the United States and China have to have a relationship. It’s the two largest economies in the world, probably the two most powerful militaries in the world, and I think it’s irresponsible for us not to have direct dialogue with them. And areas where we can find mutual cooperation, I think we can -There’s probably virtually no problem in the world that we can’t solve if we work together on it. Theres — But with two big, powerful countries like this, there’s always going to be irritants. There’s always going to be areas of disagreement, and it’s our job, for the sake of our respective countries, but ultimately for the w...