This was most likely 1 of the strangest speeches always made by a high-ranking typical of the American government at the Munich safety Conference. Earlier rumors were circulating that U.S. Vice president J.D. Vance could announce the withdrawal of American troops from Europe.
In this respect, Europeans have one more time left unscathed. Because, surprisingly, Vance never spoke of defensive policy. He decided to hit another point.
He gave a speech to the political and military elite gathered in Munich on the "poor state of European democracies", as he himself said. He said it was an interior danger that upsets him more than an external threat.
— I am afraid about the interior threat that Europe can retreat from any of the fundamental values, values it shares with the United States," he said. “We must do more than talk about democratic values, we must live them,” he added.
“Freedom of word in reverse”
He stated that the key democratic values on the continent were at risk. — In the UK and across Europe freedom of speech is in retreat “the vice president said. In support of his words, he mentioned, among others, the turning off of the net in Brussels in order to reduce the riots and the persecution of Christians in the UK by the regulation of law erstwhile they prayed close abortion clinics.
He besides criticized raids in Germany on people who spread anti-feminist comments. He felt that this was evidence that violations of freedom of expression are now common in Europe.
Especially critically, J.D. Vance spoke of presidential elections in Romania, which were cancelled due to suspicion of Russian interference. He suggested that they should be repeated only due to the fact that Europeans did not like their results. “If your democracy is threatened by respective 100 1000 euros spent by Russia for advertising on social media, it has not been very strong from the beginning,” said J.D. Vance to a mostly stunned audience.
Let's do... large Europe again?
It is uncommon for a high-ranking typical of the American government to interfere so powerfully with European interior policyAs J.D. Vance did in Munich. He brought with him the main theories of MAGA doctrine (Make America large Again, Let's Make America large Again — Donald Trump's main motto) and imposed them on the European continent and large Britain.
His speech can be summed up as follows: European elites ignore the voice of people and take distant parts of the population. According to Vance, quite a few information is found in European countries considered to be misinformation only due to the fact that they do not correspond to the ruling.
J.D. Vance besides appeared at a safety conference a year ago. Even then, as a young senator, he sparked rather a stir in his words about the fact that America should mostly retreat from European affairs and halt supporting Ukraine to full focus on China.
Now he has returned, but in a much stronger position — as the deputy to the most powerful man in the world. And he teaches the European elite. He criticised them for being afraid of their own citizens and excluding those who had “inappropriate views”.
He besides criticised the political isolation of any groups. These words, made in Munich, sounded like a clear appeal to halt marginalising far-right AfD in German politics. “Democracy is based on the sacred rule that the voice of the people counts,” Vance said. He added that there are no exceptions in this strategy — either democratic principles are respected or not.
The biggest challenge: "mass migration"
According to Deputy Trump, "mass immigration" is 1 of the biggest challenges facing all countries. He noted that 1 in 5 people in Germany have a migration origin. “This did not come from vacuum,” he said, adding that this was the consequence of informed decisions made by politicians in Germany over the last decade.
Vance besides referred to attack in Munich, in which an Afghan exile entered a group of people, wounding 36 peopleSome of them are serious. “How many times do we gotta endure from these horrific failures before we change course? ” asked the vice president of the United States. He added that no European voter voted "to open doors to millions of untested immigrants".
Vance's speech was primarily about European societies and their elites. It was besides targeted at MEGA supporters in the US. The politician has made it clear how he sees his mission in the position he holds — I want to be a major MAGA ideology, especially in the United States, but besides abroad.
SVEN HOPPE / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP / AFPJ.D. Vance on screen during his speech at the Munich safety Conference, 14 February 2025.
Part of this mission is besides the function of a defender of religion. Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019 and has since been a zealous Catholic — and a strict opponent of abortion. Hence the mention in his speech to the British protesters before abortion clinics.
In addition to the subject of combating migration, J.D. Vance besides talked about the request to deal with allegedly corrupt elites and take action to defend democracy. Since its inauguration as President, Donald Trump has been trying to translate his promises from run to circumstantial policy — he does so by issuing an avalanche of decrees and executive regulations.
Migration was 1 of the 2 most crucial issues thanks to which Trump won the U.S. election. The Republican is presently dealing with foreigners in the country illegally, even allowing raids into previously protected areas specified as churches and schools. At the same time, Trump is exerting large force on Mexico and the states of Central America to halt migrants travelling north.
Germany’s strong response
J.D. Vance besides mentioned Elonie Musku and his interference in the elections to be held in Germany in the close future. “If American democracy can endure 10 years of grumbling Greta Thunberg, then you can endure a fewer months Elona Muska here,” he said with a smile.
MICHAEL STACHE / AFPGerman defence Minister Boris Pistorius speaking at the Munich safety Conference, 14 February 2025.
While Vance was speaking, German defence minister Boris Pistorius was busy making notes. It became clear why he was doing this erstwhile he started giving his own speech 2 hours later. He prepared them in English, but then spoke German. He said that he could not leave Vance’s message without comment. This led to a direct exchange of punches between the American vice president and the German defence minister.
Pistorius stated that Vance compared the conditions in European democracies to those in autocracy, which is "unacceptable", ensuring that AfD was not marginalised in Germany in any way. “Democracy, however, does not mean that a loud number can decide what the fact is,” said SPD politician. He stated that democracy must besides be able to defend itself against extremists who want to destruct it.
