ATHENS (VINnews) — Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said Thursday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s address beneath the Acropolis was the best speech of recent years, and asked whether the 2028 Republican presidential contest is already settled.

“Marco Rubio just gave the best speech of the last few years. Which means we have to start asking a question: is the 2028 primary truly already over? Maybe, but maybe it shouldn’t be,” Shapiro wrote on X, attaching a segment from his Daily Wire program. The post drew thousands of reactions within hours.

Rubio spoke Wednesday from the Pnyx, the ancient meeting place of the Athenian assembly, with the Parthenon behind him. He argued that Western nations face a choice between renewed confidence and decline, and said the next decade’s decisions will shape the century that follows.

He faulted Western governments for opening borders, outsourcing industry and allowing militaries to weaken, and said nationalism had been treated as a dirty word while monuments were torn down and children were taught to be ashamed of their countries. He also criticized what he called the transfer of decisions to distant international bureaucracies.

Rubio tied American institutions to Greek inheritance, noting classical forms in the capital and the Greek name of Philadelphia, where the Constitution was written. He singled out Iran’s rulers, contrasting what he called a cult of death with a Western tradition that honors sacrifice without worshipping it. He said the United States, under President Donald Trump, has chosen national power, reindustrialization and technological competition.

The setting and the language quickly fed speculation about 2028. Fox News host John Roberts said a speech of that kind would normally be read as an opening shot in the next race, but noted that Rubio has said he is not running. President Trump has repeatedly pointed to Vice President JD Vance and Rubio as the leading figures to succeed him, and in June floated a Vance-Rubio ticket, saying the two get along and would be hard to beat.

Shapiro’s praise marked a shift in emphasis from comments he made in August. On the PBD Podcast, he said Rubio, whom he described as risk-averse, would likely stay out of a primary against Vance. He laid out a set of outcomes in which a challenge could end Rubio’s prospects, while staying out could leave him next in line if Vance lost.

Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew and co-founder of The Daily Wire, has been among the sharper national voices on Western identity and Israel. In a written commentary Thursday, he said Rubio’s remarks were a reminder that American achievements are worth defending without embarrassment, and that a Rubio candidacy would make the next primary more competitive.

Rubio has not announced a 2028 bid. The Republican nomination fight remains more than a year away. ​