Following Harris Across The Country, JD Vance Says Air Force Two Will Soon Be ‘My Plane’ Full view ST CLOUD, MINNESOTA - JULY 27: Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) arrives to speak during a rally with running mate U.S. Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on July 27, 2024 in St Cloud, Minnesota. Trump hopes to flip the state of Minnesota this November, which hasn't been carried by a Republican in a presidential election since 1972. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
At the Munich Security Conference, Vice President JD Vance accused European leaders of suppressing free speech and failing to halt illegal migration. He directed an attack on European democracies, saying that the greatest threat to the continent was “from within” – not Russia or China.
Vance gave a speech at the Munich Security Conference and claimed freedom of speech was “in retreat” in Europe. He also called out European governments for ignoring voter concerns. In light of remarks from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week in Brussels insisting that Europe take the lead in defending Ukraine, Vance reiterated the Trump administration’s belief that Europe must “step up in a big way to provide for its own defense.”
Vance was expected to address the critical issues of the Ukraine war and security differences between Washington and Europe. He briefly touched on these topics before launching criticism at European governments.
The vice president alleged European Union “commissars” were suppressing free speech, blamed the continent for mass migration, and accused its leaders of retreating from “some of its most fundamental values.” He framed European politics as infected by media censorship, canceled elections and political correctness.
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“If you are afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people … If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor for that matter is there anything you can do for the American people,” Vance said.
“People dismissing voters’ concerns, shutting down their media, protects nothing. It is the most surefire way to destroy democracy,” Vance continued. His message urged shocked world leaders in the hall not to shun far-right political parties. Vance said German parties should drop the “firewall” that has long existed to prevent mainstream parties from engaging with far-right parties like Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany).
“I look to Brussels, where EU commissars warn citizens that they intend to shut down social media during times of civil unrest the moment they spot what they’ve judged to be, quote, ‘hateful content,'” Vance said in Munich.
Attendees sat in silence after Vance’s address, later criticizing his remarks. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Vance was “trying to pick a fight” with Europe, including some of the U.S.’s closest allies. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said his speech was “not acceptable.”
German broadcaster DW found different media reports on the topic in July 2023. Commissars cited former European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, referring to the possibility of a shutdown under EU’s content moderation law only “in extreme cases” and following due process if they didn’t crack down problematic content during riots. Breton cited the Digital Services Act (DSA). According to the European Commission, the main goal of the act is “to prevent illegal and harmful activities online and the spread of disinformation.”
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Vance is an amazing Vice President. We're a few weeks in, and the man has already made multiple consequential speeches and actions. His and Trump's resounding win in the US was largely the result of calling out the growing fascist tendencies in the Democratic Party in the US, and now he's taking the fight onto the world stage.
It's truly a sad day when the United States needs to remind Europe, yet again, of the need for freedom of speech and other basic human rights, while those basic rights are being shockingly eroded by the day.
Nevertheless, the world has changed, the cameras are on, and ordinary citizens are empowered in ways they weren't back when fascism took hold in German for the first time. This time, we're watching. Never again, as the Holocaust survivors, and the rest of us who demand freedom, vow.