Victor Davis Hanson: Europe Needs A MAGA-Styled Counter Revolution. Rubio Reminds Them Why

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Feb 18, 2026

A sharp discussion of Marco Rubio’s Munich speech and its unexpected reception. Talk centers on Europe repeating America’s mistakes: open borders, DEI over merit, and weakened defense. The conversation critiques Europe’s energy dependence and urges a rearmed continent to share NATO burdens. Political consequences and rising profiles in the 2028 landscape are also highlighted.

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INSIGHT

Shared Western Heritage Warning

Marco Rubio framed the U.S. as a European-derived Western civilization in contrast to DEI narratives.
Victor Davis Hanson says this reminded Europeans of shared heritage and warned them they face similar decline without reform.

INSIGHT

America's Mistakes As A European Caution

Rubio argued the U.S. made major policy mistakes like open borders, DEI, and weakened defenses that Europe risks repeating.
Hanson highlights those parallels to warn Europe it lacks a populist counterrevolution like America's Trump movement.

INSIGHT

Energy Reliability Over Renewables Alone

Rubio emphasized energy reliability, saying modern societies need fossil fuels or nuclear power to function.
Hanson stresses Europe's geographic disadvantages and the unreliability of relying solely on wind and solar.

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When there’s a problem, call Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s “fireman.”

Last week, Marco Rubio, in keeping with the tradition started by Vice President JD Vance last year, painted a sobering picture of Europe’s future. But with a twist.

Rubio did not gloat or talk down to his fellow world leaders.

Instead, he glorified America’s European heritage—a very controversial statement amongst leftists who try to distance themselves from Western norms and cultures—saying that Europe is poised to make the same mistakes America has already made:

letting in 10 million illegal aliens, replacing meritocracy with DEI, failing to maintain military superiority, and forgoing energy independence.

Europe is currently backsliding because it, unlike America, does not have a continent full of Donald Trumps to bring about a counterrevolution, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words:”

“It really enhanced the position of Marco Rubio because he's sort of become Trump's fireman. When there's a problem that seems unsolvable or that people, whether it's in Panama or whether it's in the Middle East or whether it's in the Western Hemisphere, people call on Rubio.

“And I think we should watch that very carefully because I think we're going to enter into the 2028 race, not with a Vance-Rubio vice president, but with two strong candidates.”

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