WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez plans to offer her foreign policy vision at the Munich Security Conference this weekend as speculation grows about her political future.
The 36-year-old New York progressive is popular with the Democratic base and has emerged as an influential voice of the opposition to President Donald Trump, leading some colleagues to encourage her to run for president — or perhaps the Senate — in 2028. Although she has been more outspoken on domestic issues, the Munich conference opens up a new door for one of the most recognizable figures in the Democratic Party.
At a moment of global tensions, Ocasio-Cortez is expected to offer a contrasting vision to Trump, who has upended relations with allies as he imposes tariffs and floats acquiring Greenland.
“It’s very important that they see the full spectrum of representation, leadership and thought of the United States,” Ocasio-Cortez told NBC News on Thursday as she descended the Capitol steps.
She is slated to speak alongside others on two panels — one about the “rise of populism,” and another about the “future of U.S. foreign policy,” according to her office.
Matt Duss, who is advising Ocasio-Cortez on foreign policy, told NBC News that she was invited to speak. “She has an opportunity to bring a perspective that is not often represented at one of the big U.S.-European security conferences,” said Duss, a former adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Ocasio-Cortez will also use the platform to give her prognosis of right-wing populism and provide a “working class perspective” on the intersection of domestic and foreign policy, as Duss put it.
He said that Ocasio-Cortez's foreign policy vision is intertwined with her domestic politics and reflects principles that “she’s been talking about since the first days she came to Congress.”
“Her approach to global affairs is very deeply connected to her approach to domestic affairs — based on the same principles,” Duss said. “She believes in diplomacy as a tool of first resort. She’s supported reining in the executive branch when it comes to war. She believes the U.S. has an important role to play around the world, but military intervention is not the way to do that. And there’s clearly a strong constituency in the country that agrees with that. That’s a constituency Trump and [Vice President JD] Vance appealed to.”
There were concerns Thursday that the congressional delegation of House members heading to the conference may be canceled due to an impending lapse in some government funding. But Ocasio-Cortez’s office confirmed to NBC News that she was not part of the delegation and will attend the conference regardless.
“Trump has obviously turned the U.S. into an antagonist of Europe. We’ve seen right-wing populism grow in Europe and around the world,” Duss said. “Since her first days in Congress, she’s been sounding the alarm that people are hurting. Governments are failing. When people can’t find jobs or afford basic needs like housing and health care, they will turn to easy solutions like blaming immigrants, blaming LGBTQ people. This is driving right-wing populism.”
Still, her appearance in Munich, where she will rub shoulders with world leaders, top diplomats and military leaders, is a departure for Ocasio-Cortez, who has spent her seven years in Congress focused largely on domestic issues. While her office isn’t playing up her visit, it is raising eyebrows and fueling chatter among some congressional colleagues that she’s gearing up for a White House bid, as soon as 2028.
“I’ve always said that she is a national and an international voice. She’s young, articulate, clear-headed, represents not only the present but the future,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a fellow New York Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told NBC News.
“I predict someday she will become president of the United States. I’ve called her ‘madam president’ before,” he added.
Ocasio-Cortez's team declined to discuss the speculation about her future.
Foreign policy has not been a central focus for Ocasio-Cortez, who goes by the nickname AOC, during her time on Capitol Hill. She does not serve on the Foreign Affairs, Armed Services or Intelligence committees. She has been most vocal on Israel, as an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although she has softened her opposition to U.S. funding for its Iron Dome system. She also has backed aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Of 70 bills, resolutions and amendments Ocasio-Cortez has sponsored, only four deal with foreign policy at all. One of those was more aimed at domestic politics: the Bangladeshi population in her district.
While this is her first trip to the Munich conference, Ocasio-Cortez noted that she has done some travel abroad. Of Puerto Rican descent, she led the first Spanish-speaking U.S. congressional delegation to Latin America in 2023, meeting with the presidents of Brazil, Chile and Colombia. That same year, she joined colleagues on a trip to Japan and Korea. And in 2019, she addressed the C40 climate summit in Copenhagen.
