Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered exactly what "the world needed to hear" at the Munich Security Conference, retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Sunday, while warning that Europe has "everything to lose" if it continues to erode prosperity, security, and values.
"You know, he made the greatest speech that man has ever made," Holt said on Newsmax's "Sunday Report," of Rubio. "And it was a, I thought, a very eloquent approach over what [Vice President] JD Vance even did last year. But the message is the same."
Holt's reaction came after Rubio received a standing ovation in Munich while attempting to reassure European leaders about the U.S. commitment to their alliance, even as European officials have pushed back against American pressure amid shifts in U.S. foreign and security policy.
Holt said Rubio's remarks landed with ordinary Europeans and rattled elites.
"I thought that the citizens of Europe, the ones I have talked to, just loved the speech, are adoring what he's saying because they want their country back," Holt said.
Rubio's message amounted to a warning about what Holt called a collapsing "European transatlantic stool."
"You're kicking the three legs of the European transatlantic stool out from under the stool. That is prosperity, security, and most importantly, values," Holt said.
"Because in just one year's time, the Europeans have rolled up civil rights like we've never seen before."
He pointed to recent developments in the United Kingdom as an example.
"You could get locked up for complaining about a rape gang now in the U.K.," Holt said. "So this is the warning. This is you have everything to lose here. We don't want to lose Western civilization."
Holt suggested the moment could serve as a kind of intervention, not only between governments, but between leaders and citizens.
"But if this is to be a divorce kind of mediation type talks like, let's get into a room and have some marital counseling," Holt said, "I thought that the citizens of Europe... just loved the speech."
Rubio, for his part, emphasized a shared cultural and spiritual bond between the U.S. and Europe, even when disagreements flare.
Steve Yates, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former deputy national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, backed Holt's assessment and framed Rubio's remarks as part of a broader administration strategy following Vance's address last year.
"What the combination of JD Vance, his speech, and Marco Rubio's speech have done is that they upset the table and then let some pieces settle and agitate for a bit," said Yates.
Yates said Rubio's approach offered a "reasonable, rational adult" vision that "reaches beyond Europe," including an "indictment of the false dream that the Cold War actually ended."
Holt also pointed to Rubio's comments on planned negotiations with Iran in Geneva, saying the posture reflects President Donald Trump's preference to exhaust diplomacy first.
"That's exactly right. The president is patient. He prefers a demilitarized foreign policy. This saves American lives," Holt said.
But Holt argued that military action could follow if Iran "keeps pushing the can down the road."
"Then they're going to meet up with a few B-2s and some F-35s," he said.
For Holt, Rubio's Munich speech was less about smoothing over differences than drawing a stark line about what he sees as the stakes.
"We don't want to lose Western civilization," Holt said.
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