"The headliners were Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The Europeans hoped Rubio would mollify their concerns about President Donald Trump's commitment to the continent's defense-or at least erase the memory of last year's main speaker, J.D. Vance, whose unabashed hostility toward the Western alliance and firm embrace of Germany's neo-Nazi party set off the crisis between the two continents today."
"In this context, they viewed AOC as a possible harbinger of the U.S. leadership's next generation and wondered-some with excitement, some with dread, almost everyone with curiosity, because she had never appeared at the conference before-just what her ascension might bode. As it turned out, Rubio proved disappointing, while AOC was too vague to leave behind an outline of the alliance's future or her chances of rising to its helm-though she expressed reassuring sentiments with (for the most part) encouraging eloquence."
"Rubio received a standing ovation at the end of his keynote address on Saturday, mainly because he spoke softly and uttered a few welcome lines that the likes of Vance or, worse still, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (who did not attend the conference) would never utter-for instance, "the United States and Europe ... belong together," "We are part of one civilization," and "Our destiny is, and will always be, intertwined with yours.""
Two American politicians, Marco Rubio and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, headlined the Munich Security Conference where U.S. and European leaders convene to assess the trans-Atlantic alliance. Europeans hoped Rubio would reassure concerns about President Donald Trump's commitment to continental defense and counterbalance last year's provocative speaker, J.D. Vance. AOC was viewed as a potential sign of future U.S. leadership, generating mixed curiosity. Rubio's soft delivery and explicit pro-European lines earned a standing ovation but ultimately disappointed on substance. AOC spoke with eloquence yet remained too vague to outline the alliance's future or her prospects of leading it.
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