In this clip, Victor Davis Hanson discusses the difference between Marco Rubio’s speech in Munich and that of recent speeches by Donald Trump and JD Vance. They all tried to convince European leaders that they were on a path of civilizational decline with censorship, mass migration, borders, debt, and energy problems, but the Europeans didn’t react well.
First, Secretary Rubio said we are European in the sense that it is our legacy, particularly Great Britain. Our laws, language, literature, and institutions are Western. People on the woke side say we’re indigenous or African or something. Rubio was saying Europeans are our mother’s civilization. He gave examples of how we came to be.
He said we made the same mistakes, but implied they don’t have a continent of Donald Trumps to wage a counter-revolution.
We allowed 10 million [more like 20 million] in and destroyed meritocracy for 4 or 5 years of DEI. We bought into Critical Race Theory, and our defenses were not what they should have been. For years, we didn’t maintain a dominant military.
He went on to say that you can’t have a successful society without so-called fossil fuels or nuclear power.
The third thing he said was that we want a strong NATO, and the more Europe can defend itself, the better for us.
Hanson called Rubio Trump’s fireman, an apt description.
Rubio received a standing ovation compared to the speeches given by Vance and Trump. However, read on to look at the reaction from some European leaders.
Rubio got a standing ovation, but then some Europeans reacted as follows.
German Chancellor Merz: “I want real names on the internet. I want to know who is speaking.”pic.twitter.com/J54Za389Sl
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) February 19, 2026
They want more unvetted immigrants from savage lands:
German Chancellor Merz says he wants MORE immigrants to come to Germany
Factories are closing, jobs are leaving because electricity is 2x more expensive.
Germany doesn’t need more workers. The factories aren’t being built in Germany any more.
pic.twitter.com/xCOX1k3nlF— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) February 19, 2026
Macron responded like this:
🇫🇷🇮🇹 Emmanuel Macron responded to Giorgia Meloni after she described the killing of 23-year-old Quentin Deranque in Lyon as “a wound for the whole of Europe.”
Macron said nationalist leaders are often quick to comment on events beyond their borders, adding: “If everyone minded… pic.twitter.com/ulwNyMM4WR
— Europa.com (@europa) February 19, 2026
Macron’s bad logic:
How embarrassing for France to have a President that doesn’t believe in free speech? Globalists’ hate free speech. The French need to move on from Macron. pic.twitter.com/DcuwMZ4s12
— Common Cent$ (@Common_Cent1) February 18, 2026
Keir Starmer is misreading the room as usual.
‘Starmer is misreading the room.’
Reform UK MP, Rupert Lowe, comments on Starmer’s reaction to the rioters, and blames ‘division’ between the Government and the people on Blair’s leadership. pic.twitter.com/z8kDM789eo
— GB News (@GBNEWS) August 4, 2024
The Marxist philosophy grasses worn by most of today’s European leaders bland them to simple truths. Any country, but especially already highly developed industrial nations can only function effectively with vast amounts of relatively inexpensive power. When there is not enough “fuel” collapse is imminent.