The Munich Security Conference, kicking off Friday, is quickly emerging as an unofficial stop on the Democratic 2028 primary tour.
The annual gathering of world leaders and defense officials is drawing a slate of ambitious Democrats eager to sharpen their national security credentials, expand their global profiles, and project steadiness to European allies wary of America’s political volatility.
It’s a high-profile stage, but whether it translates into momentum in Iowa or New Hampshire remains to be seen.
Among those scheduled to appear are Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI). The Democrats, all possible 2028 presidential contenders, are expected to insert themselves into international and political conversations in a way that increasingly resembles a shadow presidency and a direct counterweight to President Donald Trump.
Ocasio-Cortez is set to bring a “working-class” perspective to the summit. The Washington Post reported she plans to challenge the influence of billionaires and corporate interests on international policies she sees as harmful to everyday workers. She will speak on two panels: one on the rise of populism and another on the future of U.S. foreign policy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be the highest-ranking U.S. official in Munich, tasked with defending Trump’s policies that have rattled U.S. allies, including the purchase of Greenland, the imposition of arbitrary, punitive tariffs, the war in Ukraine, and making Canada the 51st state. Last year, Vice President JD Vance stunned the audience after sharply criticizing Europe’s migration and free speech policies. He also warned that the continent’s greatest threat comes from within.
Newsom told reporters this week that he will speak about trade and jobs. He will also tell foreign leaders that “California is a stable and reliable partner.”
Newsom gained international attention last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, when he openly mocked and criticized the president and his delegation. Newsom’s Davos blitz quickly escalated into an international proxy fight with Trump. Newsom scolded European leaders for capitulating to Trump and even waved around red kneepads, saying of the president, “You either mate with him, or he devours you.”
Newsom also attended the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil, where he sought to play the global statesman and bypassed Washington to engage directly with world leaders.
Similar scenarios could unfold in Munich, as the Democrats, ready to vie for the White House, plan to present an alternative to Trump’s interventionist foreign policy and to demonstrate their readiness to assume greater global leadership.
“Munich is quickly becoming an early audition stage for 2028,” Republican strategist Erin Maguire told the Washington Examiner. “Modern Democratic primary maneuvering looks less like Iowa diners and more like international backdrops. For governors like Newsom and Whitmer in particular, foreign policy is the resume gap. A conference like Munich gives them a global setting to project seriousness on Ukraine, China, and NATO without having to own the day-to-day consequences of those policies.”
Democratic political strategist Garry South believes “anything a Democratic candidate for president can do to demonstrate they have chops on the international front is a positive, particularly in the current context, when Trump has made such a hash of America’s relations with the rest of the world, including alienating and insulting our longtime allies.” South added that Newsom “certainly made some waves at Davos.”
Joe Caiazzo, the former New Hampshire state director for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) 2020 presidential campaign, said it was the Democrats’ due diligence to go to Munich to represent the country following negative comments Trump has made about Europe.
“It is no surprise to see Democratic leaders and potential 2028 hopefuls head to Munich as one of the primary responsibilities of the next president will be to repair our global reputation and relationships,” he said.
Jeff Burton, founding partner at Maven Advocacy, also believes Munich could be an ideal platform for Democrats.
“Considering all of the Trump administration’s somewhat controversial engagements in foreign policy, most recently at Davos, Democrats need to burnish their credentials and provide contrast to their base,” he said. “The Munich Conference is a great microphone to do just that. What remains to be seen is how much American voters will care come the 2028 primary season.”
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Maguire warned that there is political risk for Democrats and that their involvement could backfire.
“American voters have repeatedly signaled skepticism toward global elite gatherings that feel disconnected from everyday economic realities at home,” she said. “Part of President Trump’s victories were built in part on rejecting that worldview. So the question isn’t whether this helps them with party donors and foreign policy insiders but whether standing on a stage in Munich actually translates to credibility with voters who care more about affordability, immigration enforcement, and security than conference optics.”