{"id":2570642,"date":"2026-02-17T12:08:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T17:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aoc-mocked-rubio-over-basic-history-then-it-blew-up-in-her-face\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T12:14:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T17:14:30","slug":"aoc-mocked-rubio-over-basic-history-then-it-blew-up-in-her-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aoc-mocked-rubio-over-basic-history-then-it-blew-up-in-her-face\/","title":{"rendered":"AOC Mocked Rubio Over Basic History, Then It Blew Up in Her Face"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Faoc-mocked-rubio-over-basic-history-then-it-blew-up-in-her-face%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2570642&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-jasmine-crockett-reveals-what-happened-off-camera-during-clash-with-mtg-it-was-gonna-get-into-a-fight\/\" title=\"Rep. Jasmine Crockett Details Off-Camera Confrontation with MTG: &#039;It Was Close to a Fight\">article centers<\/a> on a dispute over the origins of horses in the Americas and the roots of American cowboy culture, sparked by remarks from U.S.Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Secretary of state Marco Rubio. Rubio\u2019s Munich Security Conference address framed the united States as \u201ca child of Europe,\u201d claiming that Western heritage\u2014including horses, ranches, and the cowboy archetype\u2014originated in Spain and shaped American culture. Ocasio-Cortez, speaking at a TEDx event in Berlin, countered that Native Mexicans and descendants of African slaves would contest Rubio\u2019s claims, noting that while horses were introduced by Spanish explorers, indigenous peoples engaged with and shaped that legacy. The piece provides past detail such as Hern\u00e1n Cort\u00e9s bringing the first horses to Mexico in 1519 (initially 16), the spanish establishment of breeding farms, and Indigenous acquisition of horses through alliances, trade, or conflict, all contributing to the broader spread of equine culture. It cites sources like archaeology Magazine and History.com for context and reflects ongoing debates about heritage, national identity, and how history is presented in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-steven-crowder-announces-lawsuit-against-facebook\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Steven Crowder Announces Lawsuit Against Facebook\">political discourse<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attempted to mock Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday for factually stating that Spanish explorers brought horses to Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/releases\/office-of-the-spokesperson\/2026\/02\/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-at-the-munich-security-conference\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> during his speech at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. will &ldquo;always be a child of Europe,&rdquo; highlighting Christopher Columbus&rsquo; voyage to the New World, the first English colonies and the introduction of the modern cowboy culture from the Spanish settlers.<\/p>\n<p>Ocasio-Cortez claimed at Technical University of Berlin&rsquo;s TEDx event that native Mexicans and the descendants of African slaves would beg to differ with Rubio on horses, ranches and rodeos being brought over from Spain, though they were, in fact, introduced by Spanish explorers.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Rubio&rsquo;s speech was a pure appeal to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-listened-to-barack-obama-and-bruce-springsteens-new-podcast-so-you-dont-have-to\/\" title=\"I Listened To Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen\u2019s New Podcast, So You Don\u2019t Have to\">western culture<\/a>,&rdquo; Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My favorite part was when [he said] that American cowboys came from Spain. And I believe the Mexicans and descendants of African enslaved peoples would like to have a word on that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Spanish conquistador Hern&aacute;n Cort&eacute;s brought the first horses to Mexico in 1519 during his invasion of the Aztec Empire, <a href=\"http:\/\/galiceno.org\/history-of-horses-in-the-americas.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to Galicenos of Sawannee Horse Ranch.<\/p>\n<p>He initially brought 16 horses to Mexico in April 1519, established a settlement and later had more horses imported to the land after conquering the Aztecs.<\/p>\n<p>The Spanish also established breeding farms to produce more horses, and other settlers significantly expanded the population of horses and cattle in the region, <a href=\"https:\/\/archaeology.org\/issues\/july-august-2015\/collection\/horses-return-to-the-new-world\/the-story-of-the-horse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to Archaeology Magazine.<\/p>\n<p>Indigenous cultures acquired these horses through alliances, theft, trade and the capture of Spanish settlers, which they used for transportation and labor.<\/p>\n<p>The modern cowboy culture of the Americas can also trace its roots back to Spain, given that the Spanish settlers trained indigenous populations to wrangle cattle on horseback in order to maintain their ranches in places like Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/articles\/mexican-vaquero-american-cowboy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to History.com.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio used his speech to celebrate the d cultural heritage between the U.S. and Europe.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our first colonies were built by English settlers, to whom we owe not just the language we speak but the whole of our political and legal system. Our frontiers were shaped by Scots-Irish &ndash; that proud, hearty clan from the hills of Ulster that gave us Davy Crockett and Mark Twain and Teddy Roosevelt and Neil Armstrong,&rdquo; Rubio said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our great midwestern heartland was built by German farmers and craftsmen who transformed empty plains into a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >global agricultural powerhouse &#038;ndash<\/a>; and by the way, dramatically upgraded the quality of American beer.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our expansion into the interior followed the footsteps of French fur traders and explorers whose names, by the way, still adorn the street signs and towns&rsquo; names all across the Mississippi Valley.&nbsp; Our horses, our ranches, our rodeos &ndash; the entire romance of the cowboy archetype that became synonymous with the American West &ndash; these were born in Spain,&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the main points:<\/p>\n<p>At the Munich Security Conference, Marco Rubio argued that the United States has always been \u201ca child of Europe,\u201d pointing to Christopher Columbus\u2019s voyage, the early English colonies, and the emergence of cowboy culture from Spanish settlers. In response, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez challenged him at a TEDx event in Berlin, saying that Native Mexicans and the descendants of African slaves would dispute the claim that horses, ranches, and rodeos were brought from Spain, and she accused Rubio of making a Western-cultural appeal.<\/p>\n<p>The piece also notes that Hern\u00e1n Cort\u00e9s brought the first horses to Mexico in 1519, and that horses were subsequently expanded through Spanish imports and breeding. Indigenous peoples acquired horses through alliances, theft, trade, and capturing Spaniards, using them for transportation and labor. It argues that the modern American cowboy tradition has roots in Spain, since Spanish settlers trained Indigenous populations to herd cattle on horseback to sustain ranches in places like Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio\u2019s remarks are described as celebrating cultural links between the United States and Europe, including claims that English settlers helped shape the language and political system, that Scots-Irish and German immigrants contributed to frontier development and beer, and that French fur traders influenced the interior\u2014the overall claim being that the romance of the cowboy archetype originated in Spain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2570643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Michael-Featured-Image-702.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8334,4265,50410,5894,5438],"class_list":["post-2570642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-aoc","tag-backlash","tag-controversy-2","tag-politics","tag-rubio"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Michael-Featured-Image-702.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570642"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570647,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570642\/revisions\/2570647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}