Trump's State Department spokesperson discusses the administration's foreign policy

Summary

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Consider This from NPR

Episode Date: June 26, 2026
Main Topic: Trump Administration’s State Department on Foreign Policy Priorities
Host: Scott Detrow
Guest: Tommy Piggott, State Department Spokesperson

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the Trump administration’s current foreign policy agenda, spotlighting two urgent global issues: the U.S. diplomatic and disaster response in Venezuela following a catastrophic earthquake, and the ongoing negotiations between the U.S., Gulf partners, and Iran. State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott discusses the administration’s strategy and how it differentiates itself from previous approaches, particularly in relation to aid coordination and nuclear negotiations with Iran.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S. Humanitarian Aid and Diplomatic Moves in Venezuela

• Rapid Response to Earthquake & Aid Coordination
  • U.S. pledged $150 million for Venezuelan relief after deadly earthquakes.
  • The State Department claims streamlined, faster aid delivery by consolidating responsibilities previously under USAID.
  • Tommy Piggott:

    "We were able to stand up at the State Department, a task force to respond to these earthquakes instantaneously... we're seeing that incredibly fast, that incredibly large response to the people of Venezuela to assist." (03:08)

  • The administration highlights past responses (e.g., Hurricane Melissa) as evidence of more effective, centralized operations.
• Building On-the-Ground Relationships
  • Dismisses fears that moving aid under State resulted in lost expertise or local contacts.
  • Notes establishment of a new U.S. Embassy in Venezuela as expanding capacity and relationships for both Americans abroad and building local institutional resilience.
  • Tommy Piggott:

    "The actions that President Trump took allowed for the development of so many conversations and relationships that did not exist previously, including the establishment of a US Embassy in Venezuela..." (04:21)

• Long-term Commitment
  • U.S. is focused on both immediate disaster response (search and rescue) and long-term rebuilding goals.
  • Commitment to continued deployment of resources and staying “on the ground.”

2. U.S. Strategy in Gulf Diplomacy and Iran Negotiations

• Reassuring Gulf Allies
  • Secretary Rubio’s Gulf trip sought to reassure countries like UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain that any Iran deal would not undermine their security.
  • More direct engagement symbolized by reopening the embassy in Kuwait.
  • Tommy Piggott:

    "We're not going to agree to something that undermines the security of our Gulf allies and partners. He made that incredibly clear at the GCC ministerial meeting..." (06:20)

• Iran Nuclear and Military Capabilities
  • Operation Epic Fury and Operation Midnight Hammer cited as key military actions that dismantled Iranian capabilities.
  • The administration claims the nuclear program is "obliterated" and conventional threats diminished.
  • Firm opposition to any scenario allowing Iran to charge fees or block commerce in the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Tommy Piggott:

    "What we saw first of all with Operation Epic Fury was dismantling of a conventional weapons military shield. The results... have already made the region and the world safer." (07:27)

• Ongoing Challenges
  • Interviewers push back on claims, citing persistent Iranian missile levels and ongoing blockage in the strait.
  • Piggott maintains that U.S. pressure and military action have reduced Iran’s threat and that U.S.-Gulf partnerships have never been stronger.

3. How This Is Different from Previous Policies (Especially JCPOA)

• Not Another Iran Deal (JCPOA)
  • Trump administration officials deny similarities to the Obama-era nuclear deal, despite critics’ comparisons.
  • Points of differentiation:
    • Actions-based conditionality (versus sending cash/unfreezing funds first).
    • No time-limited sunset clauses.
    • Stronger requirements for non-rebuilding of Iran’s nuclear program.
  • Tommy Piggott:

    "Also the provisions that have been so clearly laid out, a conditions based agreement where any sort of reintegration or... unfreezing of funds, whatever may have you, is based off of actions taken by the Iranian regime." (08:47)
    "What we're seeing now are strong actions from the President… to dismantle their conventional weapons, to obliterate their nuclear program, and also to make sure we have an agreement that makes sure they never rebuild that nuclear program." (09:29)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On U.S. Foreign Assistance Coordination:

  "By bringing these programs under the State Department to allow for better coordination, we're allowed to move quicker, we're allowed to move more effectively, and we're allowed to actually deliver assistance to where it's needed."
  — Tommy Piggott (03:08)

• On Commitments to Allies:

  "We're not going to do anything or agree to anything that they're not aware of, that our partners in the area are not aware of, that our partners in the area are not aligned with and that in any way could undermine their security..."
  — Marco Rubio, Secretary of State (00:56)

• On Iran Negotiations:

  "The President is a dealmaker and there are clear things he wants to see. There's no questioning what the President wants to see here. The Iranian regime not having a nuclear weapon..."
  — Tommy Piggott (08:06)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Venezuela Earthquake & U.S. Response — 02:56 to 05:32
• On-the-Ground Partnerships — 04:21 to 05:10
• Gulf Trip & Iran Negotiations — 06:07 to 08:43
• Comparisons to JCPOA & $300 Billion Reconstruction — 08:43 to 09:58

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Final Reflections

This episode frames the Trump administration’s foreign policy as assertive, rapid in response, and transactional—focusing on strong conditionality and direct engagement both in crisis response and negotiations. Amid ongoing skepticism from allies and criticism of similarities to past policies, the State Department insists it is pursuing a fundamentally different, more effective path.

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Transcript

[Scott Detrow]

It's consider this where every day we go deep on one big news story. Today, a closer look at President Trump's foreign policy aims. The State Department is busy trying to end a conflict in one part of the world while helping with rescue efforts in another.

[Marco Rubio]

I know the president's made a full commitment to being supportive of Venezuela.

[Scott Detrow]

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed reporters about the back to back earthquakes that rocked Venezuela. The US pledged $150 million toward relief efforts, but questions remain about whether the earthquake could upend Venezuela's stabilization process just months after the US Took its former president into custody.

[Marco Rubio]

You know, I don't think we're analyzing it through that lens. Obviously it's a setback in that regard, but we're going to get through it. And I think Venezuela is going to emerge stronger from it despite the tragedy that it's confronting right now.

[Scott Detrow]

Rubio made those marks in Bahrain. He'd been visiting several Gulf nations to talk with them about the preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran.

[Marco Rubio]

If we can make a deal with Iran that's good for everybody, we want to do it. We're going to get every, we're going to give it every chance to succeed, but also to make the point that we're not going to do anything or agree to anything that they're not aware of, that our partners in the area are not aware of, that our partners in the area are not aligned with and that in any way could undermine their security and their stability.

[Scott Detrow]

Consider this. The United States is directly involved in two major global events. What do they tell us about President Trump's foreign policy priorities? We will hear from the State Department spokesperson. From npr. I'm Scott Detrow.

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[Scott Detrow]

It's consider this from NPR this week the State Department has been directly involved with two major global events. Negotiations to end the war with Iran and sending foreign assistance to Venezuela after a deadly earthquake. Tommy Piggott is the spokesperson for the State Department and joins us now. Welcome.

[Tommy Piggott]

Thanks for having me on.

[Scott Detrow]

Let's start with Venezuela.

[Interviewer]

You know, the administration did downplay the importance of foreign aid for more than a year.

[Scott Detrow]

Why is this different?

[Interviewer]

What, what else is do you have to add on that front?

[Tommy Piggott]

Well, look, I think a couple things here. First, when it comes to foreign assistance, what we've been clear is that foreign assistance needs to be effective, it needs to go where it's meant to go, and it needs to be aligned with the US national interests. I think those are principles that are pretty uncontrovers. But unfortunately, what we saw under USAID was often disjointed aid, aid that took longer actually to deploy. And I think an example of this that's so important is the fact that we were able to stand up at the State Department, a task force to respond to these earthquakes instantaneously, that had under one roof coordination when it came to assistance, consular services for Americans, coordination with other government, other agencies. We're seeing that incredibly fast, that incredibly large response to the people of Venezuela to assist. And I think it's also important to point out that we also saw this massive response in response to Hurricane Melissa. Hurricane Melissa, we saw that quick response, that coordinated response. So I think the argument we would make, and I think this is borne out by the facts, is that by bringing these programs under the State Department to allow for better coordination, we're allowed to move quicker, we're allowed to move more effectively, and we're allowed to actually deliver assistance to where it's needed.

[Interviewer]

And you're not worried about the loss of expertise, the loss of a lot of on the ground relationships that could have helped the state move faster.

[Tommy Piggott]

We're actually seeing an expansion of on the ground relationships. I mean, Venezuela, of course, is a powerful example of that. The actions that President Trump took allowed for the development of so many conversations and relationships that did not exist previously, including the establishment of a US Embassy in Venezuela that allows us to provide emergency services to American citizens in the region. But that's also something that's replicated across the world. We're seeing a new type of foreign assistance. We're building capacity and in these nations, building stronger relationships. And fundamentally, this is a bit different than the earthquake example where you have to respond with this assistance in response to a national disaster. But when we see assistance programs in general fundamentally saying we're building your capacity so we can have aid programs that eventually end because they've been successful in building capacity to respond. In course, in natural disasters, we're responding as appropriate.

[Interviewer]

I want to make sure we have time to talk about that trip to the Gulf. But one more question on the earthquake, the initial money being spent there are obviously really major immediate needs here. How is the United States thinking about these longer term issues, the rebuilding, everything that needs to come along with it once search and rescue is done, how focused will the US Be on that?

[Tommy Piggott]

Well, that's something that we're definitely focused on. Of course, the priority now are search and rescue teams, urban search and rescue teams. We're seeing the deployment of hundreds of personnel, including heavy equipment in order to assist in that effort. The United States is on the ground. The United States is there. The United States is helping. Of course, we're also working with our partners in the region and we're also delivering humanitarian and medical supplies. So our initial priority is to make sure that we have those search and rescue teams. We're delivering that assistance, working with the unmatched capability and operational capacity of Dow and then we're going to be here, we're going to help. And that is something that's demonstrated by the scale of our response.

[Interviewer]

You're just back from this diplomatic trip to the Gulf. There's been a lot of skepticism, a lot of worries from leaders of our Gulf allies about this agreement. How did Secretary Rubio respond to those concerns?

[Tommy Piggott]

Well, look, as Secretary Rubio said, we're not going to agree to something that undermines the security of our Gulf allies and partners. He made that incredibly clear at the GCC ministerial meeting which had our Gulf partners and allies at that meeting. One of the main goals of this trip was to thank our Gulf partners and allies, especially the uae, Kuwait and Bahrain, for the resilience, the support they gave us, the leadership they have shown in the face of Iran's attacks. We also saw the resumption of operations of our embassy in Kuwait with Secretary Rubio marking that by raising the flag over the embassy, taking part in that ceremony. So there is productive conversations, a clear message sent that we are not going to agree to something that undermines the security of our Gulf partners. But doesn't the alliance and work together is continuing to grow?

[Interviewer]

Doesn't allowing Iran to continue to have conventional missiles and have more power over commerce in the Strait of Hormuz, doesn't that undermine their security?

[Tommy Piggott]

Well, look, fundamentally, as we saw in the GCC joint statement we saw a powerful statement that's saying the GCC members, the United States rejects any circumstance where we're going to see any sort of fees or tolls or whatever you may call it through the Strait.

[Interviewer]

But it's still happening right now.

[Tommy Piggott]

Well, it was a clear and unambiguous message that we're not going to agree to anything that has that. And what we saw first of all with Operation Epic Fury was dismantling of a conventional weapons military shield. The results of Operation Epic Fury have already made the region and the world safer. What we are seeing now is a clear effort to make sure Iran does not rebuild a nuclear program and a clear statement from that joint statement that we're not going to have a scenario where nations charge tolls or fees for moving through an international waterway.

[Interviewer]

I guess there's been a lot of reporting that those Iranian missile levels are at the same, relatively the same level as they were before the war began. And as we saw in recent days, it's still, it's still blocking traffic in the Strait.

[Tommy Piggott]

Well, what we saw through Operation Epic Fury is the decimation of their military capabilities, the conventional shield they were trying to build, their navy, their air force, their defense industrial capacity. We have seen that. We also saw the effects of the blockade and the maximum pressure policy. The President is a dealmaker and there are clear things he wants to see. There's no questioning what the President wants to see here. The Iranian regime not having a nuclear weapon and the Secretary's trip here. We reinforced the strong partnership that is continuing to grow between the United States and our Gulf allies and partners.

[Interviewer]

When you were last a guest on npr, you said repeatedly that when it comes to any nuclear agreement, that deal would not be another jcpoa.

[Scott Detrow]

Many people, including many Republicans say it's exactly that.

[Interviewer]

Why are they wrong?

[Tommy Piggott]

Well, the Vice President outlining many of those reasons. First of all, the context where we are is so important. The decisive results of Operation Midnight Hammer, the decisive results of Operation Epic Fury already making the world safer, obliterating that nuclear program. Also the provisions that have been so clearly laid out, a conditions based agreement where any sort of reintegration or other sort of unfreezing of funds, whatever may have you, is based off of actions taken by the Iranian regime. So the context of this is incredibly important. And also the fact that we see a condition based agreement with those objectives so clearly outlined.

[Interviewer]

Why is the $300 billion reconstruction plan that's gotten a lot of attention, why is that substantially different than the Obama administration agreement?

[Tommy Piggott]

What we're talking about is a conditions based agreement, a conditions based off of actions. And that is so important. When we look at the jcpoa, we saw the sending of cash to the Iranian regime. We saw the Iranian regime with a time limited agreement that did not really actually substantially address their nuclear program, in our opinion. And what we're seeing now are strong actions from the President of the United States to dismantle their conventional weapons, to obliterate their nuclear program, and also to make sure we have an agreement that makes sure they never rebuild that nuclear program.

[Scott Detrow]

Tommy Pickett, spokesperson for the U.S. state

[Interviewer]

Department, thanks so much for joining us.

[Tommy Piggott]

Thanks for having me on this episode

[Scott Detrow]

was produced by Christopher Harland Dunaway and Karen Zamora with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. Our director is Jonas Adams. It was edited by Patrick Jaran Watananan and Tinbit Armies. Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning. Thanks to our Consider THIS plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and help keep public radio strong. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors and unlock bonus episodes of Consider this. You could Learn more at plus.NPR.org. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Scott Detrow.

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