AMBASSADOR MIKE WALTZ: Well, first, what a great speech from Secretary Rubio — and what a hell of a backdrop, 2,000 years in the making.

We believe that the West can awaken from its long slumber – and rekindle the fire that was first lit in ancient Greece millennia ago.

FOX NEWS on RUBIO SPEECH: What I liked about it was the idea that we are unapologetically loyal to who we are as a country.

FULL REMARKS: Secretary Rubio Delivers Remarks in Defense of Western Civilization at the Acropolis

CBS NEWS: Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood before the Acropolis on Wednesday and reached back more than two millennia to argue that the answer to the West's current problems can be found, at least in part, in ancient Greece. cbsnews.com/news/rubio-athen…

BLOOMBERG: Rubio Says US ‘Unapologetic’ About Power in Warning to Europe bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

We will always unapologetically pursue American values at home and across the world. 🇺🇸 @SecRubio delivers powerful remarks on American nationalism, Western civilization, and more from the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

NEW YORK POST: Marco Rubio declares West is ‘at an inflection point’ in speech at Acropolis of Athens, warns Europe must ‘confront dangers’ nypost.com/2026/10/07/us-new…

SECRETARY RUBIO: We believe that Europe can awaken from its long slumber – and rekindle the fire that was lit here millennia ago.

SECRETARY RUBIO: We should marvel at what our forefathers carved out of this countryside. The story of our civilization is the greatest story ever known to man. And it began here, with the first men and women of the West. From them, from them we can rediscover the virtues, the courage, and the strength to confront the dangers that we face in our time.

SECRETARY RUBIO: We have built a model of that with our partners here in Greece. In our defense partnerships, in energy and technology, in our shared ambition to secure Europe’s borders from the threats of mass migration.

SECRETARY RUBIO: We must rebuild our institutions and our alliances to face these threats together – understanding that the purpose of these things is not to abolish the sovereignty of the nations that constitute them, but is to defend them. And that nations need not abandon their distinct identities in order to recognize their common interests.

SECRETARY RUBIO: This thumos, as the Ancient Greeks called it - the fire of passion, strength, courage, pride - is the heart of great civilization. Without it, nations lose their will to fight, to strive, to survive.

SECRETARY RUBIO: The Greek philosophers’ search for the structure of the universe was inherited by Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton. The hunger for new knowledge gave birth to Magellan’s first expedition around the world; to Columbus’ discovery of the Americas; and ultimately, to Apollo 11’s journey to the moon. The qualities that led Alexander to conquer the entire known world reappeared in Caesar, Charlemagne, and Cortes.

SECRETARY RUBIO: These are qualities that would shape the Western moral imagination. From the Christian martyr who refused to betray his faith to the patriot who gave his life for his country; from Saint Thomas More to the Battle of the Alamo, running through the immortal closing words of the Declaration of Independence: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

SECRETARY RUBIO: We take the West’s conception of these things – heroism, honor, duty – we take these things for granted. We assume that these somehow are universal to all people in all times and in all places. They are not. They are the product of a distinct character, a distinct character which arose here – and shaped the whole story of the civilization that came after it.

SECRETARY RUBIO: In Athens, we found the first full realization of all the essential traits that would come to define the West.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Though passions may, at times, have strained the bonds of affection between the United States and Europe, it must not be allowed to break them. Together, we must strengthen an alliance capable of confronting the threats of our age.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Across this continent, we are witnessing what we hope will be the beginnings of a generational shift: skyrocketing defense spending, a flurry of new partnerships and programs, expanded manufacturing and production, following on the historic defense commitments made last year in the Hague.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads because the next decade and the decisions we make will write the story of the next century. The course we take will determine whether the West maintains its place at the head of the world, or resigns itself to a future of atrophy, servitude, and decline. We will either choose to act now, or lose the choice to act at all. Under President Trump, the United States has made its choice.