ATHENS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a sweeping speech against the backdrop of the Acropolis in Athens, called for the nations of the West to return to their civilizational roots and restore the values that drove the rise of Europe and North America to global dominance for centuries.
In Greece to discuss deepening economic, energy and security cooperation, Rubio made the case for nationalism while emphasizing the importance of global alliances during a dramatic speech about ancient civilization that appeared to reflect his political aspirations beyond being America’s top diplomat.
Rubio aimed to remind listeners of qualities he says were born in Greece and later defined the West, such as curiosity, courage, ambition, a restless spirit of exploration and a drive to discover the unknown.
“It has become fashionable today to believe that enlightened foreign policy means prioritizing the ‘global community’ over one’s own people," Rubio said. "And I think here, too, we have much more to learn from the men of ancient Greece. They knew that there was nothing selfish or wrong about loyalty to your nation, nor anything selfish or wrong about fighting to defend its interests above all else.”
Rubio touts alliances with Europe but says US pursues 'national power’
In his current role, Rubio is seen by many as the gentle face of the Trump administration and has been frequently dispatched to clarify or otherwise address concerns about the president’s frequently undiplomatic statements.
He is on the second leg of a three-nation tour of NATO allies that has already taken him to Iceland and will end in Portugal on Thursday, aiming to reassure U.S. partners that the Trump administration is committed to their success and security despite what has been an often brusque approach to traditional friends that has stirred unease.
“We must strengthen an alliance capable of confronting threats of our age. And we can,” Rubio said Wednesday, maintaining that the U.S. administration wanted Europe to join its bold vision of the future.
He also was clear, however, about the United States acting in its own interests around the world.
“We will either choose to act now, or lose the choice to act at all,” he said. “Under President Trump, the United States has made its choice. We choose the unapologetic pursuit of national power.”
Rubio warned European countries that the decisions made in the next decade “will determine whether the West maintains its place at the head of the world, or resigns itself to a future of atrophy and servitude and decline.”
But he also argued that despite “passions” having strained U.S.-Europe relations, allied countries must work to “rebuild our institutions and our alliances to face these threats together.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused countries in Europe of backsliding on their traditional values and democratic principles by stifling the free speech of conservatives and falling short on commitments to international partners like the United States.
Many of those countries have rejected the complaints and accused the U.S. under Trump of being guilty of similar behavior and worse with its staunch anti-immigration stance that some believe is racist.
Rubio's speech offers presidential overtones
The tone and tenor of Rubio’s remarks, the symbolic backdrop and the State Department's hiring of a local television crew to provide different angles of the speech, including a camera-mounted swiveling crane, were more reflective of a stump speech during a presidential campaign than a public address while on a diplomatic trip.
The former Republican senator, who previously ran for the White House in 2016, touched on the history of Western civilization while making mention of his own family’s immigration journey, at one point marveling how a son of Cuban immigrants could become the U.S. secretary of state.
“Two and a half centuries after the founding of the American Republic, halfway across the world from where I stand now, I stand here today as the Secretary of State of that Republic, and as the great-grandson of settlers who arrived in the New World from Spain,” Rubio said. “I stand here to testify to a debt that no lapse of time, no distance of space, can ever extinguish.”
Along with Vice President JD Vance, Rubio is seen as one of the leading contenders to assume Trump’s mantle at the top of the Republican Party, which faces stiff challenges in next month’s congressional midterm elections.
The speech, however, contained several historically dubious points, including that the founders of the United States had embraced the direct democracy that Athens was known for. The founders were suspicious of direct democracy and so created the Electoral College as a check on the popular will.
Rubio also hailed the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés as an heir to the Athenian concept of exploring and pursuing knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Cortes is viewed much differently in Latin America, where his toppling of the Aztec empire and other bloody conquests are remembered for huge numbers of dead and the theft of treasure.
Visit follows allegations of misconduct by US ambassador
Before his speech, Rubio declined to comment when asked about allegations of misconduct leveled at U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.
At a joint news conference with the Greek foreign minister, Rubio said he would not address the matter while visiting a foreign country, but added, “Suffice it to say our embassy here is doing a great job. Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”
The top Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Gregory Meeks, have initiated probes into claims reported last month by the Wall Street Journal that Guilfoyle acted improperly while serving as the top U.S. envoy to Greece.
The Journal reported that Guilfoyle told guests at a reception that the U.S. could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company, and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.
Guilfoyle, a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr., has denied any wrongdoing and Rubio has defended her before.
Ahead of his visit, about 1,500 people gathered to protest Rubio’s presence and the war in Iran, chanting “American killers!”
The demonstration was organized by a communist labor union and other left-wing groups and was held ahead of extensive road closures planned in Athens. Organizers said similar protests were held in at least 12 other Greek cities.
Police banned public demonstrations Wednesday in central Athens.
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Amiri reported from New York.
