JD Vance delivers broadside to Europe, fuelling growing rift

US VICE-PRESIDENT JD Vance assailed leaders at the Munich Security Conference in an address that threatens to inflame growing rifts between the US and Europe and failed to quell concerns among allies already rankled by President Donald Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine and impending tariffs.

“There’s a new sheriff in town,” Vance said of the US under Trump in a speech that directly challenged European leaders and saw him wade into some of the most contentious political issues roiling the continent.

Vance as a senator from Ohio espoused a staunchly populist worldview critical of free-trade agreements and sceptical that US allies were doing enough to bolster collective security. He showed no indication he would soften that stance in his first major trip abroad as vice-president.

The annual gathering of security experts in the Bavarian capital has traditionally been an event to deepen and strengthen the transatlantic relationship with officials from Washington meeting their European counterparts to exchange views and share experiences. Vance, instead, delivered a broadside to the Europeans in attendance, without making any reference to the war in Ukraine.

Instead, the vice-president focused on cultural flashpoints and his own notions of democracy, criticising European leaders for efforts to regulate online speech, casting terms such as misinformation or disinformation as “ugly Soviet-era words”. And he accused leaders of ignoring voters in their countries worried about the impacts of mass migration.

“When I look at Europe today, it’s not clear what happened to some of the Cold War’s winners,” Vance said.

His attack lines were often greeted with silence or isolated applause in the packed hall and many of his efforts to strike a humorous note fell flat; but highlighting those issues will likely resonate at home with Trump and the priorities of his administration.

In the US, Trump and allies have also lambasted efforts to police social media, casting it as a heavy-handed effort to stifle conservative voices. Vance’s remarks also align with arguments made by European far-right groups, who have condemned restrictions on social media activity and efforts to limit their influence.  

Europe blindsided

Vance’s address capped a tumultuous week with Europe already on the backfoot over Trump’s upending of US policy towards Ukraine and with the president moving to institute sweeping reciprocal tariffs as soon as April, spurred in part by anger over trade barriers in the European Union.

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Vance on Friday (Feb 14) said he was most concerned about what he cast as “the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values”. He compared a contentious court decision to scrap the Romanian vote to communist era practices and said German efforts to ring-fence the far-right Alternative for Democracy (AfD) were anti-democratic. And the vice-president downplayed concerns about Russian election interference.

Vance, according to his office, also met with Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate for the AfD, which is running on a platform that is sceptical of the EU and is anti-migration. Billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk has backed the AfD, sparking outrage in Germany.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised the meeting and Vance’s speech in a post on X, casting them as an assault on “the firewall against extreme right-wing parties” in Germany.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week also adopted an admonishing tone as he pressured Nato members to bear more of the cost of collective security, calling for them to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence while sidestepping suggestions the US should hit the same target.

Hegseth has also told alliance members that the US is focused on securing its own territory and deterring a war with China and expects European nations to do more to defend the continent, including support for Ukraine.

Vance did address the war during a subsequent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We want the war to come to a close. We want the killing to stop, but we want to achieve a durable, lasting peace, not the kind of peace that’s going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple of years down the road,” Vance said.

The sharper message being delivered by the administration towards Europe and will likely fuel the sense of a growing disconnect between the US and allies on the continent.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spoke on another panel shortly afterwards and departed from his prepared remarks to respond directly to Vance, eliciting loud applause from the audience.

“He talks about annihilation of democracy and, if I understood him correctly, he compares the situation in certain parts of Europe to authoritarian regimes,” Pistorius said. “Ladies and gentlemen, that is not acceptable.”

Even before Vance’s speech, German officials had been left frustrated and confused by the Trump administration’s comments this week that Ukraine will not join Nato, will not get back the territory occupied by Russia and won’t see any US peacekeepers.

Romanian government officials also said they were stunned by the vice-president’s comments, particularly after what they called positive US exchanges with Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu.

Vance also targeted comments in January by Thierry Breton, a former European commissioner, who applauded the Romanian decision. “If necessary, we will have to do it in Germany as well,” Breton had said.  

Vance said those comments reflect a disdain for European voters, particularly those channelling frustration with established parties into support for anti-establishment groups.

“If you are running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you,” Vance said. “Nor for that matter is there anything that you can do for the American people that elected me and elected President Trump.” BLOOMBERG