Marco Rubio Asks U.S.A.I.D. Worker for ‘Trust’ and ‘Patience’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday told an official with the United States Agency for International Development that foreign aid was “the least popular thing government spends money on” and had become increasingly difficult to defend, according to a transcript of a private embassy event.

Mr. Rubio sought to explain his support for the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. during a question-and-answer session he held at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, one day after thousands of agency workers overseas learned that they were being placed on administrative leave and must return home to the United States.

No reporters were present at the event, a standard “meet and greet” for secretaries of state visiting foreign capitals, but The New York Times obtained a partial transcript.

Some of what Mr. Rubio said reflected public remarks he has made in recent days, but at moments during the embassy event he appeared to speak with some sympathy for the agency.

Fielding a question from a polite but concerned Haven Cruz-Hubbard, the U.S.A.I.D. mission director for Guatemala, Mr. Rubio walked a fine line between defending foreign aid, which he called “essential,” and President Trump’s dismantling of the agency.

Mr. Rubio also seemed to acknowledge the personal distress gripping much of the diplomatic corps he now manages. “I know it’s hard to ask for patience,” he told Mr. Cruz-Hubbard. “I know it’s hard to ask for trust, because you’ve never met me before. I’ve never been in charge of the State Department. I’ve never been acting U.S.A.I.D. administrator before.”