But he framed his appeal in terms of blood and soil familiar to Make America Great Again supporters, based on common (often economic) interests and not the common values of democracy and rule of law that had held the alliance together in past decades.
“We are bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry and the sacrifices our forefathers made together for the common civilization to which we have fallen heir,” Rubio said.
The response from European leaders was polite — no one wants to break the remaining bonds with an increasingly unpredictable United States, whose troops, nuclear weapons and military capabilities still give the continent crucial security against Russia.
But on the sidelines of the event, multiple officials compared the current state of affairs to an abusive relationship in which the abuser blames the victim while vacillating between violence and sweet talk.
U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, said the past year has been a “roller coaster of emotions” for European policymakers. “I feel like the toxic girlfriend or toxic boyfriend right now … and Europe just wants us to be better.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “very much reassured by the speech of the secretary of state,” calling him a “good friend” and a “strong ally.”