Munich, Germany
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Many prominent Democrats attending the Munich Security Conference this past weekend harbor presidential ambitions. Yet, even if one secures the White House in 2028, they might find that the United States can no longer lay claim to the title held by every American president since the 1940s: leader of the free world.
California Governor Gavin Newsom took the stage to assert his state’s enduring nature, contrasting it with President Donald Trump’s transient tenure. However, in an interview with CNN, he conceded that foreign leaders he engaged with believed the damage inflicted upon the transatlantic alliance was irreversible.
New York’s progressive icon, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, arrived intending to champion a left-leaning populist foreign policy, but instead garnered attention for a significant misstep.
Several Democratic senators, seeking to bolster their foreign policy credentials for potential presidential campaigns, found themselves in an acutely uncomfortable situation with the Danish prime minister. This occurred as some Democrats attempted to downplay aggressive remarks made by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham at the meeting’s outset, which hinted at Trump’s continued interest in Greenland—a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Furthermore, the majority of House of Representatives members who planned to attend ultimately did not, after Republican Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the official congressional delegation.
European leaders offered a brief standing ovation to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose address was notably more moderate than the one delivered by Vice President JD Vance at the same event last year. However, Rubio commenced his trip by telling American journalists, “The old world is gone,” before proceeding to Slovakia and Hungary, nations led by strongmen aligned with Trump.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s opening remarks at the conference sharply defined Europe’s evolving circumstances in what increasingly appears to be a post-American global era.
“A chasm has opened between Europe and the United States,” Merz declared on Friday. “The United States’ claim to leadership has been challenged, and potentially forfeited.”
This shift is more than just rhetoric. Merz revealed “confidential talks” with France regarding European nuclear deterrence, a striking admission that unwavering trust in the US to act in its transatlantic allies’ best interests no longer exists.
“My current understanding is that even if we can mend these relationships, it will require generations before a sense of comfort is re-established,” stated Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a potential presidential contender who attended Munich shortly after learning the Trump administration’s unsuccessful attempt to indict him for a video instructing troops to disregard illegal orders.
The atmosphere in Munich was a stark contrast to the era of the late Republican Sen. John McCain, who was instrumental in establishing the conference as an essential gathering for anyone aspiring to a role in leading the free world.
A dinner still bears his name on the conference’s opening night—his son, Jimmy McCain, represented the family this year—and his image and a profound quote adorn a wall on the ground floor of the historic Bayerischer Hof hotel. “I refuse to accept the demise of our world order,” the 2017 quote declares. “I am a proud, unapologetic believer in the West. I believe we must always, always stand up for it. For if we do not, who will?”
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware attempted to perpetuate this legacy, closing down the basement Trader Vic’s tiki bar on Friday night with peach schnapps shots, a tradition McCain himself maintained.
However, no member of the McCain family addressed the main stage this year, and attendance by congressional members at a reception hosted by the German chancellor was notably sparse.
Senator Graham, usually jovial and a longtime friend of McCain, now a steadfast Trump supporter, appeared instead in a somber mood. He informed reporters that he was urging Trump to take decisive action in Iran, warning of the risk of emboldening Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
If America fails to dismantle the Iranian regime, “it will lead to catastrophe,” Graham stated in an interview with Politico. “It signifies that America cannot be relied upon. … It means the Western world is utterly worthless. All they do is talk, and when push comes to shove, they accomplish absolutely nothing.”
A considerable number of the US Democratic elected officials present in Munich are likely prospective candidates to challenge Trump in 2028, including Newsom, Ocasio-Cortez, and Kelly, alongside former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Senators Chris Murphy, Elissa Slotkin, and Ruben Gallego.
Newsom figuratively and literally stood out among the attendees, his stature making him easily identifiable even in the crowded, narrow corridors of the venerable hotel.
European leaders “perceive us as a destructive force,” Newsom remarked in an interview conducted on the conference sidelines. “They consider us untrustworthy, and many believe the damage is irreparable. They doubt we will ever revert to our former standing.”
Newsom maintained his conviction that the US-European relationship could still be mended. While acknowledging his presence in Munich was for learning, stating, “I’m not trying to offer foreign policy advice; I require it,” he also conveyed a message to both Europe and his Democratic colleagues.
“I contend that in the United States, strength begets strength,” Newsom affirmed. He also cited former President Bill Clinton, adding, “Given the choice, the American people will invariably favor strong and mistaken over weak and correct. And I believe there’s a lesson in that.”
Despite her domestic prominence, the progressive luminary, widely considered an heir to Bernie Sanders’ movement, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, faltered during her inaugural significant appearance on the international stage.
She and her team had portrayed her Munich visit as her global debut, a coming-out for the renowned but primarily US-focused New Yorker. A New York Times article anticipating her trip was titled, “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Steps Onto a Wider Stage.”
She participated in an unremarkable roundtable discussion on populist politics on Friday afternoon. However, a late-night public appearance caused headlines to sour (Saturday’s New York Times report declared: “Ocasio-Cortez Offers a Working-Class Vision in Munich, With Some Stumbles”) and prompted her team to scale back her public and media engagements at the conference.
The core issue: Taiwan, a pivotal point in US foreign policy that defines the relationship between the world’s two largest economies and superpowers. The moderator’s question was direct: Would she endorse deploying US troops to defend the self-governing island should China invade?
“Um, you know, I think that this is such a, you know, I think that this is a um — this is, of course, a, um, very long-standing, um, policy of the United States,” she stammered in response.
“And I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point,” she concluded.
The incident drew criticism on social media. More significantly, it highlighted her unpreparedness to address what is poised to become one of the defining foreign policy challenges of the coming century in geopolitics.
Even when Ocasio-Cortez articulated her intended message, it consistently expressed skepticism toward the elites currently governing the world order established after World War II.
Her foreign policy adviser on the trip, who previously advised Sanders, remained in Munich on Sunday evening, long after Ocasio-Cortez had departed.
Domestically, meanwhile, Democrats’ prospects have been rapidly improving. Trump’s approval ratings have declined, presenting an opportunity for Democrats to reclaim control of the House in this year’s midterm elections.
“Trump is poised to suffer a resounding defeat in the midterms. He recognizes this. The world, I believe, is becoming increasingly aware of that reality,” Newsom conveyed to CNN in Munich.
Despite the canceled delegation, a few Democratic House members, including Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, made the independent effort to attend the conference. The Army veteran and influential voice on national security matters is also spearheading recruitment efforts for Democrats aiming to regain House control this autumn.
Within the conference halls, he strove to reassure European leaders that Democrats were on the verge of reclaiming at least some influence in Washington from Trump. Nevertheless, he also stood alongside Ocasio-Cortez to caution that the post-World War II rules-based order was failing ordinary citizens.
“While many of those institutions and rules fostered peace, we now find ourselves in a moment where numerous such frameworks have failed to deliver for the working-class populations in most of our communities and nations,” Crow informed reporters at a press conference on Saturday.
Moreover, Europe’s leaders have experienced the same abrupt shifts as the American public. During Trump’s initial term, they were inclined to view his election as an anomaly. However, his reelection and his more assertive stance on the global stage in his second term have convinced Europe that this is not a temporary deviation from the norm.
“The international order founded on rights and rules is currently being dismantled,” Merz asserted in his speech. “This order—imperfect even at its zenith—no longer exists in its previous configuration.”