The president Donald Trump published an overflowing message of praise for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, celebrating the standing ovation he received in Germany after defending Europe's return to Christianity and control of mass immigration.
"OH MY GOODNESS! Secretary Marco Rubio just received a MASSIVE standing ovation in Germany after telling Europe that we need to return to Christianity and oppose third-world migration. Marco is CRUSHING it and the whole world is watching! We love Marco," wrote Trump in a post on Truth Social that went viral on social media.
The speech that prompted the presidential praise took place at the Munich Security Conference, held in mid-February of this year at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel. Before leading political figures and defense experts from the Western world, Rubio argued that the United States and Europe are part of the same civilization.
"We are part of a civilization: the Western civilization. We are united by the deepest bonds that nations can share, forged by centuries of common history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices that our ancestors made together," Rubio stated on that occasion, according to the official text published by the Department of State.
Regarding immigration, the Secretary of State was unequivocal: "Mass migration is not, was not, and is not a marginal concern of little consequence. It was and continues to be a crisis that transforms and destabilizes societies across the West."
At the end of his speech, Rubio received a standing ovation that surprised the audience, interpreted by several observers as a relief from the European leaders at the secretary's more conciliatory tone compared to the very confrontational speech that Vice President J.D. Vance had delivered at the same conference a year earlier.
The European reaction was mixed. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she felt "very reassured" by Rubio's words, and the German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, described it as the message of a "true ally."
However, Constanze Stelzenmüller, an analyst at Brookings, considered Rubio's language on immigration and civilization to be "deeply unpleasant."
Throughout 2026, Trump has not held back in his praise for the head of U.S. diplomacy. Days after Munich, he had already stated that Rubio did "an excellent job" and joked that his performance was so good it "almost" cost him his position. In the State of the Union address in February, he referred to him as "a great Secretary of State, perhaps the best."
The praise continued in September. At the "Shield of the Americas" summit in New York, the leader stated that Rubio had "decoded" the Cuban situation and was doing "a fantastic job."
Just a week ago, during an event for Hispanic Heritage Month at the White House, he referred to him again as "a master" in diplomacy and added: "Look at what he is doing with Cuba."
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, was confirmed as Secretary of State with 100% of the Senate votes and has become the highest-ranking Hispanic-American official in the history of the U.S. government.
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