President Donald Trump used his inaugural Gaza Board of Peace meeting in Washington, DC, to spotlight what he cast as a stark contrast between the intellectual seriousness of his vice president, JD Vance, and the public performances of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
According to The Gateway Pundit, representatives from nearly 50 nations joined senior Trump administration officials for the gathering, where Trump announced that the United States would commit $10 billion to the newly formed Board of Peace, with an additional $7 billion pledged by other member states. The initiative, framed by Trump as a major step toward stability in a volatile region, underscored his preference for robust American leadership abroad rather than the hesitant, multilateralist posture favored by many on the left.
During his roughly hour-long address, Trump paused to highlight Vances academic and professional record as emblematic of the kind of competence he wants at the highest levels of government. He reminded the audience that Vance was a great student who excelled at Harvard and beyond, contrasting that achievement with what he described as the mediocrity of many contemporary political figures.
If you watch some of the people that were at the event in Munich, they didnt graduate quickly from college, Trump said, drawing a clear line between Vances performance and that of others on the world stage. There was one young, attractive woman, she was unable to answer questions, and she didnt do so well like JD did in college, he continued, in a pointed reference to Ocasio-Cortezs academic background and widely criticized public remarks.
Trump then elaborated on Vances record, using it as a foil to the progressive congresswomans perceived lack of seriousness. JD graduated in a four and a half year college, in two years, and then he went to Yale, and he graduated at the top of his class, went to the military, Trump said, underscoring both Vances intellectual credentials and his service, qualities conservatives often argue are undervalued by the left.
The former president also injected humor into his praise of Vance by highlighting the success of Vances wife, Usha. But when he went to Yale, there was one person that was marginally ahead of him, so he married her. Can you believe it? He married the person that was ahead, Trump quipped, before adding, I dont know. I always like to say JD was first, and Usha was second because I get a little uncomfortable when I say that, but hes been incredible.
Trump went on to describe Vance in terms that underscored his trust in his vice presidents judgment and character. Hes a brilliant guy and a great guy, and hes been my friend. All of our people, we have a fantastic group of people, our cabinet members, everybody, many of them here, he said, presenting his team as a sharp contrast to what conservatives view as the ideological activism and inexperience of progressive Democrats.
The Munich Security Conference, where Ocasio-Cortez appeared last week, provided Trump with fresh material to reinforce that contrast. As The Gateway Pundit reported, AOC completely faceplanted when asked a straightforward question about whether the United States should commit troops to Taiwan in the event of Chinese aggression, responding, Um, you know, I think that, uh, this is such a, uh, you know, I I think that this is a, umm, this is of course a, uh, a very longstanding, um, policy of the United States uh and I think what we are hoping for is we want to make sure that we never get to that point.
Her halting answer, which quickly went viral, fueled speculation that she had traveled to Munich to burnish her foreign-policy credentials ahead of a possible 2028 presidential bid. Instead, the episode reinforced conservative critiques that the progressive star is more social-media phenomenon than serious policymaker, particularly on matters of war, peace, and national security.
Ocasio-Cortezs foreign appearances have repeatedly drawn scrutiny from critics who see them as emblematic of a broader left-wing tendency toward ideological rhetoric over factual rigor. In another overseas exchange, she delivered a rambling commentary on income inequality, claimed that the descendants of slavesnot White Europeansinvented American cowboy culture, and suggested that Venezuelan dictator Nicols Maduro was arrested by the U.S. military simply because Venezuela is below the equator.
Trump, never one to let such moments pass unremarked, broadened his criticism to include another longtime Democratic foil, Hillary Clinton, after both women drew negative attention in Munich. Theyre incompetent at least Hillarys competent! Shes just Trump deranged. Shes an angry woman! Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, arguing that the Democratic Partys most visible figures are driven more by animus toward him than by coherent policy.
For Trump and his supporters, the juxtaposition is deliberate: on one side, a vice president with elite academic credentials, military service, and a record of disciplined argument; on the other, progressive icons whose viral missteps abroad raise questions about their readiness for higher office. As the 2028 jockeying quietly begins and Trump advances major foreign-policy initiatives like the Gaza Board of Peace, the former president appears intent on reminding voters that, in his view, competence, clarity, and strengthnot fashionable rhetoricare what America needs on the world stage.
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