US Vice President JD Vance lashed out at European leaders on Friday, claiming the biggest threat to their security lies within, not with China or Russia. In his first major speech as vice president, Vance targeted liberal orthodoxies in Western Europe, criticizing the suppression of free speech and immigration policies.
Vance stated that shutting down unorthodox viewpoints is a surefire way to destroy democracy and called on European leaders to “embrace what your people tell you.” He compared today’s democratically elected European leaders to tyrants from the Cold War era, citing examples such as Romania’s constitutional court canceling an election.
The vice president also criticized Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is polling at 21% ahead of the upcoming election. Vance claimed that firewalls created by major parties shunning the AfD would not be sustainable in a democracy. He defended the principle that the voice of the people matters and urged European leaders to “get perspective” on their own free speech issues.
Trump-backed tech mogul Elon Musk has amplified far-right movements across Europe, and Trump himself has expressed support for the US ally’s views. Vance met with AfD leader Alice Weidel and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before his remarks, sparking concerns about the vice president’s stance on European politics.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/14/europe/jd-vance-munich-speech-europe-voters-intl/index.html