In prepared remarks for an address in Athens, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked the ancient Greek ideals of “heroism, honor and duty” and linked them to President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy.
Rubio was due to speak from the Pnyx, where ancient Athens’ popular assembly met, The Straits Times and the Associated Press reported. In excerpts circulated in advance by the State Department, he criticized what he described as a foreign-policy approach that puts the “global community” ahead of a nation’s own people.
The address echoed Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference in 2025. Vance then accused European leaders of retreating from shared Western values. The Trump administration’s national security strategy, released in November 2025, also warned that Europe faced what it called “civilization erasure.”
Rubio traveled to Greece after a visit to Iceland. In Athens, he held talks with Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis on U.S.-Greek ties in security, energy and trade. The secretary was due to conclude his European trip in Portugal.