JD Vance tore into Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over her awkward showing at the Munich Security Conference, mocking what he portrayed as thin policy knowledge. Speaking with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum, Vance accused leading Democrats of substituting slogans for substance and elevating media-savvy personalities over serious policymakers.
“You bring me on your show, you show me the most uncomfortable 20 seconds of television I’ve ever seen,” Vance said after watching a short clip of AOC.
"What happened there? What do you think?" MacCallum asked.
“Well, I think it’s a person who doesn’t know what she actually thinks, and I’ve seen this way too much in Washington with politicians where they’re given lines, and when you ask them to go outside the lines they were given, they completely fall apart,” the vice president said.
Vance went on to question whether Ocasio-Cortez holds any substantive views on the global order or concrete policy proposals to advance her vision. He suggested she offered little beyond rehearsed lines, as AOC had obviously failed to receive her progressive-approved slogans about global policy before stepping onto an international stage.
"Does anyone really believe that AOC has thoughtful ideas about the global world order? Or about what the United States should do with our policy in Asia or our policy in Europe?" Vance asked. "No. This is a person who is mouthing the slogans that somebody else gave here. And it shows how thin the Democrats' policy actually is on all these very, very important questions."
“Look, that was embarrassing,” said Vance. “If I had given that answer, I would say, ‘You know what, maybe I ought to go read a book about China and Taiwan before I go out on the world stage again.’ I hope that Congresswoman Cortez has the same humility. I’m skeptical.”
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AOC delivered a strikingly halting response to a straightforward foreign policy question. Asked whether the United States would commit troops to defend Taiwan, the congresswoman, widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, offered an answer that rivaled the style of former Vice President Kamala Harris.
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. Rep. AOC just SELF-DESTRUCTED while trying to represent America in Germany
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 13, 2026
"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
AOC might be even worse than Kamala Harris when it comes to the word salads.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 13, 2026
Watch this and see if you can tell what she's trying to say. pic.twitter.com/bAle3tczzj
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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