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AOC and Secretary of State Rubio Offer Competing Visions of U.S. Foreign Policy at Munich Security Conference

HeadlineFeb 16, 2026

Democratic Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered contrasting visions of America’s role in the world at the Munich Security Conference in Germany over the weekend. Congressmember Ocasio-Cortez sharply criticized U.S. foreign policy and tied rising income inequality to authoritarianism around the world.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “They are looking to withdraw the United States from the entire world so that we can turn into an age of authoritarianisms — of authoritarians that can carve out the world where Donald Trump can command the Western Hemisphere and Latin America as his personal sandbox, where Putin can saber-rattle around Europe and — and try to bully around our own allies there, and for, essentially, authoritarians to have their own geographic domains.”

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cast immigration as an existential threat to both Europe and the U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “In the pursuit of a world without borders, we opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture and the future of our people. We made these mistakes together. And now, together, we owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward to rebuild.”

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