When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered her first major foreign-policy remarks during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference in February, a moderator asked her whether the United States should send troops to Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. After some pauses, she said: “What we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s answer reflected long-standing U.S. policy on this thorny issue. But explaining strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan doesn’t make for a straightforward sound bite, and critics of the 36-year-old congresswoman went on the attack. “AOC, she was unable to answer a simple question,” U.S. President Donald Trump said. The New York Times and Washington Post derided Ocasio-Cortez’s “stumbles,” ditching standard practice to transcribe her “um”s and “ah”s.
National-security experts saw Ocasio-Cortez’s answer as a misstep in part because she has previously been enigmatic about her foreign policy. She turned down a 2020 invitation to speak in Munich, according to correspondence viewed by Foreign Policy. At the time, she seemed squarely focused on delivering for her New York district.
Ocasio-Cortez’s decision to appear at this year’s conference came amid growing speculation that she will seek higher office in 2028, whether as a contender for senator or even president. Munich is a well-known practice stage for ambitious politicians, and her remarks there attempted to define what a progressive U.S. foreign policy might look like under her leadership. The core question, however, is how she would transform such ideas into policy.
