Tradition has it that partisan politics and opposition stays in the US and the government speaks with one voice in international arenas on foreign policy. There have been many exceptions to this, and the 2026 Munich Security Conference is a major one.
From my perspective, I was so pleased to see American opposition to the Trump Administration’s foreign policy as many influential American state and federal politicians spoke out this year. Last year, I was shocked as J. D. Vance seemed to speak for the USA as he insulted the intelligence and betrayed the partnerships of America’s longtime European allies. This year, voices of opposition to Trump Administration policies arose at the conference from multiple sources.
Importantly, the US Sec of State Marco Rubio gave a more conciliatory and intelligent speech than presented by the V.P. in 2025. While Rubio’s message did not reverse America’s retreat from decades of its strong alliances in and with NATO countries, or the US backsliding over the support of Ukraine, he was not insulting.
But the Trump Administration’s positions were brilliantly contested by California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), and others, such as Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin. Senator Slotkin explained to the attendees: “… the US is going through something at the moment.”[1] Indeed.
One exemplary instance of their articulate opposition was Hillary Clinton’s responses to questions during a panel session. Sometimes panels force speakers to be brief and succinct in their responses, as was the case here when Hillary Clinton was asked whether issues over Ukraine have undermined the West:[2]
Hillary Clinton: “I think the Trump Administration’s position on Ukraine is disgraceful.
I think the effort to force the Ukraine into a surrender deal [giving up Ukrainian territory demanded by Putin] with Putin is shameful.
I think the effort that Putin and Trump are making to profit off the misery and death of the Ukrainian people is a historic error and corrupt to the nth degree.
I believe Ukraine is fighting for our democracy and our values of freedom and civilization on their front lines, losing thousands of people and having their country destroyed by one man’s mania to control them. And I think Trump either doesn’t understand or could care less about that suffering.”
Q: Has he destroyed the West?
“He has betrayed the West.
He has betrayed human values.
He has betrayed the NATO Charter, the Atlantic Charter, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
… None of us [on this panel] would choose to live under a regime that was so unaccountable that it could act with impunity the way that Putin does. But that is who Trump is modeling himself after.”
I could not agree more. When the conference concluded, Marco Rubio went to Hungary to support Viktor Orban, another autocrat that Donald Trump has modeled himself after.
Note
[1] Patrick Wintour (2026), ‘‘Just Say No to Trump’ Democrats put end to tradition of united front’, The Guardian, 16 February: p. 24-25.
[2] The following is my imperfect transcription of part of what Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in response to a panel’s chair at the Munich Security Conference. I hope my transcription provides some justice to her remarkably clear and compelling answers.
