“Speak softly and carry a big stick.” This profound diplomatic approach to foreign policy put into practice by our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, was eloquently and effectively restored by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a speech to our allies at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Receiving a standing ovation and praise from his international counterparts, the Secretary of State reassured U.S. allies in Europe of our shared past. In describing the history of world wars and common goals, Rubio explained the deep connection: “We are part of one civilization—Western civilization. We are bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together for the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”
This common civilization has bonded the U.S. with Europe over the last two and a half centuries in our understanding of the rule of law, justice, human rights, and individual liberty that comes from, yes, our shared Christian faith and heritage. Yet, as Sec. Rubio points out, many nations have forsaken these ideals and given over to a new global order of erroneous ideologies of climate change radicalism, unfettered immigration, and unhinged gender ideologies. Many European countries have simply lost their moral compass and fecklessly followed the trends of the global elite without a plan to protect their own people from enemies inside and outside their borders.
Sec. Rubio warned of these erroneous ideologies and polices that have arisen since the fall of the Soviet Union and the defeat of the “evil empire” after the Cold War “that every nation would now be a liberal democracy; that the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood; that the rules-based global order—an overused term—would now replace the national interest; and that we would now live in a world without borders where everyone became a citizen of the world.”
President Donald Trump has tried to shake these countries from this malaise and make them realize their “national interest” is tied to ours. The Trump administration is setting an aggressive and focused plan as outlined in its National Security Strategy, giving the world a roadmap, that the intent of the administration is to focus on restoring an “independent, sovereign republic whose government secures the God-given natural rights of its citizens and prioritizes their well-being and interests.” This Trump team understands that too many wrong turns by past administrations have left our defense and national security apparatus in shambles with no strategic plan for the future.
While telling European allies that they need to step up, pay their own way, and protect their own continent, Rubio delivered the Trump doctrine and encouraged our European allies to look at themselves in the mirror. What have they become, and what do they want to be in the future?
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also spoke at the conference on a panel titled “Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights: Fighting the Global Pushback.” Ironically, one of the speakers to talk about women’s rights was a man, Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), who identifies as a woman. How insulting to women that a panel on their rights can only be explained by a man?
In another panel discussion, Clinton got into a row with the Czech Republic’s deputy prime minister, Petr Macinka, who pointed out the Trump administration is confronting “some policies that really went too far—too far from regular people, too far from reality. … We saw the cancel culture, we saw the woke revolution, I don’t agree with the gender revolution, the climate alarmism.”
Sec. Rubio calmly explained in his speech how the U.S.’s goal is to get back to reality and that in so doing, it is prepared to “go it alone” if necessary but would prefer these important allies come alongside.
As we reflect this President’s Day on some of our greatest leaders, the Trump team is taking the mantle from Teddy Roosevelt. When he took over command of the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War at the Battle of San Juan Hill, he did so because the general in charge failed to give the troops specific orders, and he had no plan to take the hill. Roosevelt got his men on their feet, prepared them for battle, and moved forward to advance up that hill and conquer the enemy.
This administration is advancing up the hill, overcoming the obstacles of misguided allies and naysayers, to take the ground and secure America’s future.
Diana L. Banister is a political and communications strategist, a former Trump administration official, and executive consultant with Sovereign Global Solutions. This article first appeared on https://www.independentwomen.com/2026/02/16/new-rough-riders/ and appears here through the kind permission of the author.
Receiving a standing ovation and praise from his international counterparts, the Secretary of State reassured U.S. allies in Europe of our shared past. In describing the history of world wars and common goals, Rubio explained the deep connection: “We are part of one civilization—Western civilization. We are bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together for the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”
This common civilization has bonded the U.S. with Europe over the last two and a half centuries in our understanding of the rule of law, justice, human rights, and individual liberty that comes from, yes, our shared Christian faith and heritage. Yet, as Sec. Rubio points out, many nations have forsaken these ideals and given over to a new global order of erroneous ideologies of climate change radicalism, unfettered immigration, and unhinged gender ideologies. Many European countries have simply lost their moral compass and fecklessly followed the trends of the global elite without a plan to protect their own people from enemies inside and outside their borders.
Sec. Rubio warned of these erroneous ideologies and polices that have arisen since the fall of the Soviet Union and the defeat of the “evil empire” after the Cold War “that every nation would now be a liberal democracy; that the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood; that the rules-based global order—an overused term—would now replace the national interest; and that we would now live in a world without borders where everyone became a citizen of the world.”
President Donald Trump has tried to shake these countries from this malaise and make them realize their “national interest” is tied to ours. The Trump administration is setting an aggressive and focused plan as outlined in its National Security Strategy, giving the world a roadmap, that the intent of the administration is to focus on restoring an “independent, sovereign republic whose government secures the God-given natural rights of its citizens and prioritizes their well-being and interests.” This Trump team understands that too many wrong turns by past administrations have left our defense and national security apparatus in shambles with no strategic plan for the future.
While telling European allies that they need to step up, pay their own way, and protect their own continent, Rubio delivered the Trump doctrine and encouraged our European allies to look at themselves in the mirror. What have they become, and what do they want to be in the future?
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also spoke at the conference on a panel titled “Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights: Fighting the Global Pushback.” Ironically, one of the speakers to talk about women’s rights was a man, Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), who identifies as a woman. How insulting to women that a panel on their rights can only be explained by a man?
In another panel discussion, Clinton got into a row with the Czech Republic’s deputy prime minister, Petr Macinka, who pointed out the Trump administration is confronting “some policies that really went too far—too far from regular people, too far from reality. … We saw the cancel culture, we saw the woke revolution, I don’t agree with the gender revolution, the climate alarmism.”
Sec. Rubio calmly explained in his speech how the U.S.’s goal is to get back to reality and that in so doing, it is prepared to “go it alone” if necessary but would prefer these important allies come alongside.
As we reflect this President’s Day on some of our greatest leaders, the Trump team is taking the mantle from Teddy Roosevelt. When he took over command of the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War at the Battle of San Juan Hill, he did so because the general in charge failed to give the troops specific orders, and he had no plan to take the hill. Roosevelt got his men on their feet, prepared them for battle, and moved forward to advance up that hill and conquer the enemy.
This administration is advancing up the hill, overcoming the obstacles of misguided allies and naysayers, to take the ground and secure America’s future.
Diana L. Banister is a political and communications strategist, a former Trump administration official, and executive consultant with Sovereign Global Solutions. This article first appeared on https://www.independentwomen.com/2026/02/16/new-rough-riders/ and appears here through the kind permission of the author.
