Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Breitbart News that Americans are “the heirs” of Western civilization, tying the message to the Trump administration’s America First foreign policy. The interview was recorded October 15, 2026, at the State Department in Washington after Rubio’s address at the Acropolis in Athens.
Rubio said the message rests “at the core” of what the administration is trying to establish in foreign policy. He argued [1] that American government, culture, values, democracy, and republican traditions did not appear from nowhere, but emerged from thousands of years of civilization stretching through Greece, Rome, and Europe.
The West, Rubio said, has become unusually apologetic about its history and achievements, with consequences for foreign policy. He called for Americans to rediscover and embrace their shared inheritance while encouraging other Western leaders to do the same.
Rubio said leaders abroad have become more receptive to that message, especially following his Munich Security Conference speech and a similar address from Vice President JD Vance. He said some leaders privately agree but remain concerned about criticism from the far left, the media, academia, and entrenched bureaucracies.
Asked about speculation surrounding the 2028 presidential race, Rubio declined to revisit the subject. He said he was focused on his two jobs and portrayed himself, Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and other administration officials as members of the same team carrying out their responsibilities.
Greece also featured prominently in Rubio’s discussion of energy independence. He said Greece supports energy exploration and occupies an advantageous geographic position that could make it a connector for energy moving among Europe, Africa, Israel, and the broader Middle East.
Rubio criticized years of rhetoric favoring more expensive energy and reduced fossil fuel use. He argued that recent global crises have reminded governments that ordinary life, industry, and military capabilities all require dependable energy, while Greece can help generate and transport it.
The interview came shortly after former Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned. Rubio said the administration was not yet prepared to name a replacement, but insisted the relationship remained strong and praised Greece as an important American ally with significant roles in energy independence, regional stability, and NATO.
Rubio also highlighted electoral movement across Latin America and the Western Hemisphere toward governments more willing to work with the United States. He said geography still matters and argued that stable, secure allies in the region directly serve the American national interest.
The closure of USAID and the transfer of foreign aid responsibilities to the State Department also entered the discussion. Rubio said some organizations receiving American money had been aligned with anti-American leftists, and he insisted aid would now be designed specifically to advance the national interest rather than finance groups hostile to the United States.
Rubio said humanitarian response had become faster and more effective under the new system. He cited American assistance following disasters in Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Jamaica, and Asia, while saying the United States now relies on affected countries to identify what help they need.
On Ukraine, Rubio defended Trump’s 30-day sanctions moratorium allowing additional Russian diesel into global markets, saying the decision served America’s economic interests. He said the war’s central territorial dispute involves Donetsk, where Russia occupies all but roughly 11% and Ukraine holds a defensive line it considers essential to protecting Kiev.
Rubio said Russia has attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure while Ukraine has targeted Russian oil and gas refineries. The United States remains prepared to mediate a negotiated settlement, he said, although the positions of both sides remain deeply entrenched and difficult to resolve.
Turning to Iran, Rubio said Trump had prevented Tehran from hiding a nuclear weapons effort behind a vast conventional shield of missiles and drones. He said Iran’s navy, air force, missile factories, and drone factories had been struck, while American forces were protecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and sanctions were denying Tehran money for its military and allied terrorist groups.
Rubio argued that Iran’s Islamic regime is the leading source of instability across the Middle East. He pointed to Tehran’s support for Hezbollah, militias in Iraq, and the Houthis, contending that confronting Iran’s role is essential to understanding and addressing the region’s wars and persistent flashpoints.
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