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JD Vance Mocks AOC’s Munich Freeze While Showcasing How Trump’s Board of Peace Benefits Americans

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  February 19, 2026 3:45 PM

Vice President JD Vance took aim at Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during Thursday’s inaugural meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace in Washington, D.C., as he addressed delegates from dozens of countries gathered to discuss the board’s mission of securing a lasting resolution to the Israel-Hamas conflict. While President Trump had praised both the vice president and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vance said he had been tempted to follow in the footsteps of AOC, and freeze for 20 seconds instead of beginning his speech.

"I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but after the president said that I was so smart and I didn't want to repeat Rep. AOC who froze for 20 seconds over in Munich, now I'm tempted, sir, just to freeze for 20 seconds and just stare at the cameras," Vance quipped. "And maybe they'll say nice things about me like they do about Congresswoman Cortez."

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, along with several other Democrats, had embarrassing moments at last week’s Munich Security Conference, as they struggled to answer even basic foreign policy questions. The particular moment the vice president mocked was when AOC was asked whether the United States would commit to defending Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

Vance went on to explain how the Board of Peace and its objectives, while designed to solve a problem overseas, also directly benefits Americans at home.

"I think it's important that the American people recognize why we're here today. And the reason that we're here today is, yes, to save lives and, yes, to promote peace, but this creates incredible prosperity for the American people," Vance argued. "The countries represented here represent trillions of dollars of investment in the United States of America that would not have been possible without this president's leadership and advocacy for peace."

The economies here represent millions of American jobs of people who are receiving products built in American factories and made by American workers would not be possible without a focus on peace. So, Mr. President, while I think this is great for the world, I also think it's really, really great for the United States of America, so we're looking forward to the partnership.

This comes as President Trump praised both JD Vance and Marco Rubio during the initial meeting of his Board of Peace, and commended them for their hard work.