Rubio Takes Center Stage in Munich, Carrying Trump’s Populist Message Internationally

Secretary of State Rubio Takes Center Stage at Munich Security Conference, Following Vance’s Controversial Debut

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading the U.S. delegation at this year’s Munich Security Conference, stepping into a spotlight that Vice President JD Vance occupied last year with a speech that reverberated throughout European diplomatic circles.

“President Trump has assembled the most talented team in history, including Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio, who are working in lockstep to notch wins for the American people,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital ahead of Rubio’s appearance.

The Munich Security Conference stands as one of the world’s premier forums for international security policy discussions, annually drawing hundreds of senior decision-makers including heads of state, ministers, military leaders and policy experts for both public and private deliberations on global security challenges.

The American delegation will share the forum with prominent Democrats including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, highlighting the bipartisan nature of American participation despite differing policy perspectives.

Rubio set an assertive tone before departing for Germany, telling reporters: “The Old World is gone. Frankly, the world I grew up in, and we live in a new era in geopolitics, and it’s going to require all of us to re-examine what that looks like and what our role is going to be.”

Despite this challenging message, Rubio emphasized the enduring U.S.-European relationship. “We’re very tightly linked together with Europe,” he said. “Most people in this country can trace both, either their cultural or their personal heritage, back to Europe. So, we just have to talk about that.”

Rubio’s appearance follows a year after Vance delivered what became one of the defining foreign policy moments of Trump’s second term. In his 2025 address, Vance stunned European leaders by suggesting their greatest threat came not from Moscow or Beijing, but from within—what he characterized as democratic decay fostered by political correctness and speech restrictions.

“What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values—values shared with the United States of America,” Vance said in his address that reportedly left many European officials taken aback.

President Trump later praised Vance’s speech as “brilliant,” expressing concern that Europeans were “losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech” and criticizing what he viewed as lax immigration policies across the continent.

The Trump administration has maintained this critical stance toward certain European policies, with the State Department recently criticizing the European Union’s Digital Services Act as “Orwellian” censorship and implementing visa restrictions targeting foreign officials accused of censoring Americans online.

During a December 2025 appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump reinforced these concerns, stating: “I don’t want to insult anybody and say I don’t recognize it. And that’s not in a positive way. That’s in a very negative way. And I love Europe and I want to see Europe do good, but it’s not heading in the right direction.”

While Rubio represents the administration at the Munich conference, Vance has been conducting his own diplomatic mission, holding meetings with Armenia and Azerbaijan, including signing a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement with Armenia and a strategic partnership with Azerbaijan. Sources familiar with planning indicated there were never intentions for Vance to attend this year’s Munich conference.

The delegation leadership by Rubio rather than Vance follows established precedent, as vice presidents do not automatically attend the conference each year. Former Vice President Mike Pence attended twice during Trump’s first administration, while former Vice President Kamala Harris participated three times under President Biden.

Rubio’s expanding diplomatic role has become increasingly evident in recent months. He has held multiple international engagements alongside Vance, including a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and attending the Olympics’ opening ceremony in Milan earlier this month.

The Trump administration has consistently emphasized its “America First” approach while seeking to reshape trans-Atlantic relations. As White House spokeswoman Wales noted, “The President and his team have flexed their foreign policy prowess to end decades-long wars, secure peace in the Middle East, and restore American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The entire administration is working together to restore peace through strength and put America First.”

With European leaders anxiously awaiting Rubio’s address, the conference represents another significant moment in the evolving relationship between the Trump administration and its traditional European allies.