WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Marco Rubio praised his daughter Daniella after she introduced him at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention.
  • Daniella is a third year University of Virginia law student and the youngest of Rubio’s four children.
  • Rubio delivered his first speech since Republicans were wiped out by a Democratic blue wave in the midterm elections.
  • He urged conservatives to think in decades, citing Republican losses during Ronald Reagan’s first term.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a major speech Friday with a proud reaction after his daughter Daniella introduced him at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention. Her confident appearance clearly impressed her father before he turned to the political message of the event, as reported by The New York Post.

“Was that cool or what?” Rubio gushed after Daniella finished her remarks. The secretary of state then focused on how comfortable she appeared while speaking before the audience.

“I don’t know where she got this,” he marveled. “There’s no stage fright. She’s not afraid to speak. I don’t really like public speaking that much, but she, on the other hand – that’s fantastic.”

Daniella is a third-year law student at the University of Virginia and Rubio’s youngest daughter. Rubio and his wife Jeanette have four children, including two boys and two girls.

Trump's Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?

MORE NEWS: Hero NYPD Detectives Race Against Train to Save Fallen Angel From Subway Tracks

The family discussion continued when another law student in the crowd asked how Americans could “instill the values to the next generation of love for our freedom” as Rubio had done with Daniella. The question prompted a quick answer about how the Rubio household operated.

“Well, my home was not a democracy,” Rubio quipped. His response brought a bit of family humor into a gathering centered on law, politics, freedom, and the conservative movement.

Rubio quickly clarified that he was “not the dictator” of the family. Instead, he described himself as “the minister of defense,” offering another glimpse of the family dynamic as he spoke about raising the next generation.

The speech was Rubio’s first since Republicans were wiped out by a Democratic blue wave in last week’s midterm elections. Despite those results, he adopted an optimistic tone and urged Republicans to think beyond one election cycle.

FREE Gun Law Map: Laws Don't Pause During Social Unrest

Should members of Congress have term limits?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from Objectivist.co, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

Rubio pointed the conservative audience toward the “devastating losses” Republicans experienced during the 1982 midterm elections under former President Ronald Reagan. He used that moment to recall how bleak the political environment appeared less than two years into Reagan’s first term.

“Less than two years into Ronald Reagan’s first term in office, everything sort of seemed headed in the wrong direction,” Rubio said. “It’s hard for us to remember that right now, but that’s what it was like.”

The comparison allowed Rubio to address Republican disappointment without treating the latest electoral defeat as the final word. His message emphasized a broader political horizon and the need to judge consequential movements across decades rather than individual contests.

Rubio encouraged Republicans to consider the larger picture and remain focused on what could be accomplished over the coming years. That outlook formed the central theme of his remarks after the party’s painful showing in the midterms.

Close

MORE NEWS: FAA Flight Chaos Erupts Into an Unforgettable Cabin Concert with Simple Plan, Hoobastank, and The Used [WATCH]

“We have much more to do over the next two, the next six, the next 20 years,” he said. “Great things that last are built in decades, not election cycles.”

Rubio did not suggest that the road ahead would be free of setbacks. Instead, he presented victories and defeats as unavoidable parts of any undertaking carrying serious weight and magnitude.

“There will be more victories, and there will be more defeats. There will be more triumphs, and there will be more disappointments. This is the nature of all undertakings of this weight and of this magnitude,” Rubio continued.

He then placed those political struggles within the wider sweep of history, arguing that great figures and causes have also endured reversals. The secretary of state remained defiant about the ultimate prospects of the cause he was defending.

“There are no great men or great causes in the pages of history that did not suffer the same,” he said defiantly, “but we are persuaded of the justice of our cause, and we too will triumph in the end.”

Rubio’s appearance paired a proud father’s reaction with a determined political message following a brutal Republican election result. Daniella supplied the memorable opening, while Rubio urged conservatives to keep working through victories, defeats, triumphs, and disappointments over the long term.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Objectivist. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.