Rep AOC Faces Brutal Backlash After Munich Conference Comments, Whitmer Swears She’s the Smart One [WATCH]

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is facing widespread criticism following remarks she made over the weekend while attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany, as reported by Fox News.

The four-term lawmaker, considered one of the leading voices in the Democratic Party and rumored as a potential 2028 presidential contender, drew scrutiny over multiple comments delivered during panel discussions abroad.

During one exchange, Ocasio-Cortez attempted to mock Secretary of State Marco Rubio over his previous comments about the historical roots of American cowboy culture.

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“My favorite part was when he said that American cowboys came from Spain,” Ocasio-Cortez said, laughing. “I believe that Mexicans and the descendants of African enslaved peoples would like to have a word on that.”

Her remarks prompted immediate reactions from Republican and conservative figures.

GOP strategist Matt Whitlock described her appearance as “an absolute train wreck,” criticizing her for “Talking Nazis, Mexico, and Spain, and the word salad heard round the world on Taiwan.”

Supercut: AOC’s visit to the Munich Security Conference… was an absolute train wreck.

Talking Nazis, Mexico and Spain, and the word salad heard round the world on Taiwan. pic.twitter.com/xKik8YGSgT

— Matt Whitlock (@MattWhitlock) February 16, 2026

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote, “Tell me you know nothing about history without saying you know nothing about history.”

Tell me you know nothing about history without saying you know nothing about history. https://t.co/pikzjZG0tL

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 16, 2026

Political strategist Marco Frieri also weighed in, stating, “I don’t understand why AOC is trying to rewrite this. It just makes her look bad.”

American cowboy culture can be traced back to Spain’s vaquero culture, brought to the continent through its colonial presence in Mexico.

I don’t understand why AOC is trying to rewrite this. It just makes her look bad. pic.twitter.com/4QXaNrFXgn

— Marco Frieri (@MarcoAFrieri) February 16, 2026

David Harris, an author on antisemitism, criticized Ocasio-Cortez over her remarks regarding Israel and Gaza. Harris wrote that “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) isn’t just an ignoramus. She’s dangerous because she has the support of a larger group of ignoramuses.”

He added that “for her, on German soil, to declare #Israel guilty of ‘genocide’ is beyond obscene” and “should be disqualifying for her political ambitions.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) isn’t just an ignoramus.

She’s dangerous because she has the support of a larger group of ignoramuses.

For her, on German soil, to declare #Israel guilty of “genocide” is beyond obscene.

Should be disqualifying for her political ambitions. pic.twitter.com/itRoeRitud

— David Harris (@DavidHarrisNY) February 14, 2026

OutKick founder Clay Travis compared Ocasio-Cortez’s response to a foreign policy question about Taiwan to a viral 2007 beauty pageant moment, writing, “Who gave the better answer to a foreign policy question: AOC or Miss South Carolina?”

Who gave the better answer to a foreign policy question: AOC or Miss South Carolina? Listen and decide: pic.twitter.com/V5LrWHc4JU

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 16, 2026

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., who appeared on a panel with Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, also faced criticism.

When asked what victory would look like for Ukraine, Whitmer said Ocasio-Cortez and Whitaker were “much more steeped in foreign policy than a governor is.”

“Ukraine’s independence, keeping their land mass and having the support of all of the allies, I think, is the goal,” Whitmer added.

Gretchen Whitmer thinks AOC is smarter than she is when it comes to foreign policy.

There goes her chances of running for President! pic.twitter.com/oMqHldVcca

— NWRain-Judi (@RYboating) February 15, 2026

Ocasio-Cortez was also asked, “Would and should the U.S. actually commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan if China were to move?”

After pausing for nearly 20 seconds, she responded, “This is, of course, a, a very long-standing, policy of the United States, and I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point, and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise.”

Conservative journalist Eric Daughtery described the response as a “word salad,” writing that she had “SELF-DESTRUCTED.”

HOLY SMOKES. Rep. AOC just SELF-DESTRUCTED while trying to represent America in Germany

“Should the US commit troops to defend Taiwan?”

AOC: “Um, you know, I think that, uhh, eh, this is such a, uh, you know, I th-I think that this is a, umm, this is of course a, uh, a very… pic.twitter.com/VfT98vKhZY

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 13, 2026

Commentator Benny Johnson criticized another comment in which Ocasio-Cortez accused the Trump administration of kidnapping Venezuelan ex-President Nicolás Maduro and referenced Venezuela’s geographic position.

“AOC pontificates that we can’t just capture the leaders of nations like Venezuela because they are below the equator. Venezuela is not below the equator,” Johnson wrote.

Independent journalist Nick Sortor added, “AOC has AGAIN made a fool out of herself on stage saying that we can’t capture leaders like Maduro in Venezuela ‘just because the nation is south of the equator’ NONE of Venezuela is south of the equator,” and added, “PLEASE run in 2028, AOC.”

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, posted on X, “It’s bad enough that @AOC, who barely speaks Spanish, is showcasing her lack of basic geography in Europe instead of spending time helping her constituents. What’s worse is the woke white liberals in Germany felt compelled to clap for her.”

“Wokeness is truly a mind virus,” he added.

Prominent Catholic leader Bishop Robert Barron also addressed Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks in a video posted on X. Barron stated that her dismissal of Rubio’s appeal to Western values and framing of class struggle as the defining global issue is “right out of the Marxist playbook.”

Barron said the development “concerns me not just as someone who follows politics but as a bishop of the Catholic Church.”

“Marx himself said that the first critique is a critique of religion, and his political adepts followed it. The first thing that the Marxist tyrannies went after, in most cases, was religion. I’m getting a little concerned that in some of these leading figures in our own politics, a Marxist philosophy is taking hold,” said Barron.

“As a religious leader, this is concerning me quite a bit. Take a look, everybody, attend to the language, in a way they’re telling us who they are and what they’re for, and I think that should be very concerning to everybody,” he concluded.

Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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