Proud son of a diplomat and former 🇺🇸 Ambassador to 🇲🇽. Honored to serve my country as Deputy Secretary of State.
Washington, DC
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The Fulbright Program @FulbrightPrgrm was established by the US Congress in 1946 for “the promotion of international goodwill through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science.” That program, which is administered by the @StateDept, uses US taxpayer funds to pay for foreign students to study in our country.
In 2022, under the Biden Administration, Aimun Faisal of Pakistan (@bluemagicboxes) was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. She entered our country on an exchange visa, obtained a Master’s Degree in “Cultural Studies” at one of our elite universities, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and departed our country in 2024. The US Government paid $180,000 in taxpayer funds for this educational opportunity.
But apparently the Fulbright vetting process left a lot to be desired. Long before Aimun applied for and received this US-government-funded scholarship, she publicly expressed profound contempt for our country. February 2019: “America is a neo-imperialist, capitalist hellhole, which is funded by the oppression of several races.” April 2020: “fuck america.” Not an obvious candidate to promote “international goodwill.”
Nor did Aimun’s US-taxpayer-funded education at Dartmouth bring her around. May 2025: “I truly hope the fall of the American imperial order is a thing I get to witness. I hope Donald Trump sets fire to the liberal cloak that america drapes itself in to reveal the truly ugly, demonic, grotesque nakedness within, to the world.” September 2025: “the united states of america is a sickness that rots our world.” February 2026: “Absolute morbid grave of morality run by mass murderers and rapists relentlessly killing children with the push of a button and keeping their subjects drugged on unending consumerism. America is a festering rot on god’s good earth.” & “Allah just keep me alive long enough to rejoice upon the ashes of the American empire.”
Needless to say, this case raises very serious questions about why a foreigner who espouses these views would apply for US taxpayer money from the US government to study in the US, and why the US government and one of our elite universities would have accepted her. Many Americans do not get this kind of educational opportunity, although it is far from obvious that the Master’s Degree in “Cultural Studies” from Dartmouth actually advanced Aimun’s education.
I can reassure the American people that, under the leadership of @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @SecRubio, the @StateDept will not tolerate (much less fund) this kind of nonsense, and we have substantially overhauled the @FulbrightPrgrm to make sure that no such abuse takes place on our watch. Aimun does not currently have a visa to enter our country, and will never receive one as long as we have anything to do with it. She is of course free to hate us, but we do not welcome foreigners who hate us (and have abused our hospitality) into our great country. 🇺🇸
h/t: @ChiefTrumpster
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.@SecRubio has frequently underscored that a US visa is a privilege, not a right. Just as I said a year ago, foreigners who celebrate violence and political assassination aren’t welcome guests in our country. The @StateDept has revoked a record number of visas this past year, and will continue to do so as necessary and appropriate to protect our people.
state.gov/releases/office-of…
In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country. I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action. Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people.
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As someone who’s always had a passion for geography, it’s exciting to experience one of the world’s great geographical anomalies. Kiritimati (Christmas) Island in Kiribati 🇰🇮 is about three hours by plane from Honolulu, Hawaii. Because it’s due south, it’s the same time of day there. BUT, because of a carve-out in the International Date Line, it’s a whole day ahead. The carve-out (the “Kiribati hammer”) was established in 1994 to keep all of Kiribati’s islands on the same day. So my three-hour flight from Honolulu arrived 27 hours later, and my three-hour flight back arrived 21 hours before I left. Every day in the world starts on Kiritimati Island!
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Excellent meetings today in Kiribati with President Taneti Maamau at a development conference on Kiritimati (Christmas) Island. The US and Kiribati go back a long way, at least to 1857 when missionary Hiram Bingham II landed to introduce Christianity into the Gilbert Islands and worked with local leaders to develop the written form of their language and translate the Bible. Our ties were later sealed in blood in the ferocious Battle of Tarawa in November 1943. And our current relationship is governed by the Tarawa Treaty of 1979 (when Kiribati gained its independence from Great Britain), which contemplates ongoing consultations between our governments. Kiribati is the closest Pacific neighbor to Hawaii, and it’s important to reaffirm our close relationship. 🇺🇸🤝🇰🇮
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When asked what countries abut the US, most people would answer Canada and Mexico. But that overlooks maritime boundaries! Among our largest maritime neighbors is the nation of Kiribati (pronounced Keer-ee-bahs) in the South Pacific, with which we share a 1,260-nautical-mile border—our second-longest maritime boundary with any country. I’m excited to be traveling to Kiribati today to meet President Taneti Maamau and his team. 🇺🇸🤝🇰🇮
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Prime Minister Matthew Wale of the Solomon Islands is one of my favorite world leaders. He has a clear vision for improving his country and the energy to get the job done. Shortly after he took office this past May, he sent me a list of priority actions we could take to advance our bilateral agenda, such as fostering US investment, enhancing cooperation on maritime security, and returning the @PeaceCorps after an absence of more than 25 years. Over the ensuing months, we have rapidly been checking off items on that list, and I was delighted to visit him in Honiara this week to finalize the return of the Peace Corps and celebrate our reinvigorated relationship. 🇺🇸🤝🇸🇧
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The US wiped out much of the Imperial Japanese fleet in the Chuuk (formerly Truk) Lagoon in WWII, and the spot is now known as the world’s largest ship graveyard. I was honored to visit Chuuk, one of the four states comprising the Federated States of Micronesia, and especially Tonoas Island in the Lagoon, which was devastated by Typhoon Sinlaku last April. Given the Compact of Free Association linking our countries, the US is playing an important role in relief and reconstruction efforts. 🇺🇸🤝🇫🇲
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“We can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.” These words from the Gettysburg Address thundered through my head as I spoke yesterday at a memorial service on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The fighting there 84 years ago, which marked a turning point in WWII, took place largely in and around the current capital city of Honiara, and I was honored to salute the sacrifice of so many so far from their homes, as well as the local scouts and coastwatchers who helped them. The US and the Solomon Islands are forever linked by bonds of blood. 🇺🇸🤝🇸🇧
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I’m not sure many Americans realize that our country enjoys an exceptionally close relationship with three Pacific Island nations: Palau 🇵🇼, the Federated States of Micronesia 🇫🇲, and the Marshall Islands 🇲🇭. Each of these nations came under US administration as a trust territory after WWII but opted for independence in the 1980s and 90s under Compacts of Free Association (COFAs) with the US. These COFAs provide benefits for both sides, and (among other things) give the US responsibility and authority over defense and security. I had the pleasure of conferring with the Presidents of all three COFA countries last week to reaffirm our close relationships and announce (among other things) the planned return of the Peace Corps.
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During my recent trip to Palau, I was honored to visit the island of Peleliu, the scene of fierce fighting between American and Japanese forces in the fall of 1944. Admiral Lunday, Commandant of the @USCG, Lt. General Rowell, Deputy Commander of @USPACOM, and I led a brief memorial service at Orange Beach, the landing site, to honor our countrymen who gave their lives there. The island is still littered with the rusting relics of war, and you can see the caves where the Japanese ferociously resisted the American advance. It’s important for diplomats to visit battlefields to understand how terrible the ultimate consequences of diplomatic failure can be.
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My remarks at the Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Palau last week focused on promoting economic development through investment by our dynamic private sector and establishing a Pacific Energy Security Initiative to address the region’s energy needs. I also announced cooperative programs to combat illegal fishing and drug trafficking and the long overdue return of the Peace Corps to several countries in the region. And I underscored our common faith heritage by asking Almighty God to grant us all the wisdom to deliver results for our peoples. 🇺🇸🙏🏝️
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It was an honor and a pleasure to represent the US at the Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ Meeting this week in the beautiful island nation of Palau. Admiral Kevin Lunday, the Commandant of our Coast Guard, and I met with many regional leaders, including the Presidents of Palau 🇵🇼 the Marshall Islands 🇲🇭, and Naoero (f/k/a Nauru) 🇳🇷, the Prime Ministers of Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬, Tonga 🇹🇴, and the Cook Islands 🇨🇰, the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa 🇼🇸, the Foreign Ministers of New Zealand 🇳🇿 and Fiji 🇫🇯, the Pacific Affairs Minister of Australia 🇦🇺, the former President of the Government of New Caledonia 🇳🇨, and representatives of other Dialogue Partners including Japan 🇯🇵 and France 🇫🇷. As a Pacific nation, the US looks forward to working with partners to foster security and prosperity throughout the region. 🏝️
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The United States is a Pacific nation by both geography and history. Over the past two centuries, our missionaries, whalers, soldiers, and sailors forged unbreakable bonds between our peoples. I’m honored and delighted to be returning for my third trip to the Pacific Islands as Deputy Secretary of State to reaffirm and deepen those bonds.
state.gov/releases/office-of…
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There are few, if any, of my foreign counterparts with whom I meet as regularly as my friend Takehiro Funakoshi, the distinguished Vice Foreign Minister of Japan @MofaJapan_en. That reflects not only our very constructive relationship but the enduring alliance between our countries and our alignment on a multitude of issues. It was thus a great pleasure today to welcome “Take” back to Washington for a most productive meeting. Arigatō ありがとう 🇺🇸🤝🇯🇵
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