Vice President Vance on Friday used his first major speech on the international stage to accuse European leaders of stifling opposing viewpoints and of retreating from “fundamental values.”
Vance delivered remarks at the Munich Security Conference, where he argued the biggest threats facing Europe were not China or Russia, but the issue of mass migration and laws that restrict free speech.
“While the Trump administration is very concerned with European security and believes we can come to a reasonable settlement between Russia and Ukraine … the threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor,” Vance said.
“And what I worry about is the threat from within,” he continued. “The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.’
Vance’s remarks did not delve into the conflict in Ukraine, where the Trump administration is pushing for a ceasefire negotiation, nor did he discuss at length President Trump’s desire for Europe to commit more to defense spending.
Instead, Vance accused European officials of using laws meant to minimize misinformation and disinformation to marginalize populist voices and voters.
“To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old, entrenched interests hiding behind Soviet-era words like ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’ who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way or, even worse, win an election,” Vance said.
“If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you,” Vance added. “Nor, for that matter, is there anything you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump.”
Vance attacked European Union “commissars” for censoring “hateful content.” He called out the United Kingdom for a “backslide away from conscience rights.” And he more broadly shrugged off the idea that outsiders weighing in on elections amounts to election meddling.
Vance took issue with Romania’s decision in December to wipe out the results from the first round of presidential elections after declassified security documents alleged Russian interference that promoted a far-right outsider candidate.
He also defended the conduct of Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and Trump ally who has waded into European politics and appeared virtually at a rally for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party.
“Speaking up and expressing opinions isn’t election interference. Even when people express views outside your own country and even when those people are very influential,” Vance said. “And trust me I say this with all humor: If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.”
Vance also described mass migration as the most urgent issue facing the continent. He pointed to an incident in Munich a day earlier when a migrant drove a car into a crowd as an example of the consequences of mass migration.
“No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants,” Vance said. “More and more all over Europe, they’re voting for political leaders who promise to put an end to out of control migration. I happen to agree with a lot of these concerns. You don’t have to agree with me, I just think that people care.”
Vance’s speech garnered a tepid reception in the room, but it was likely to be well received by Trump back in the United States. Trump campaigned on similar culture war issues, including restrictions on migration and on claims of censorship and free speech infringement in the United States. In a nod to the change in administration, Vance told European leaders there was a “new sheriff in town.”
“Under Donald Trump’s leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight for your right to offer it in the public square, agree or disagree,” Vance said.
The vice president’s remarks came as the Trump team has sparked controversy with its decision to bar The Associated Press from covering events at the White House, citing disagreements with the news outlets decision to continue referring to the body of water off the Southeastern coast as the Gulf of Mexico. Trump signed an order last month declaring the body of water would be called the Gulf of America.
