Vice President JD Vance tore into Europe’s abandonment of free speech and authoritarian approach to defending democracy.
Vance spoke at the 2025 Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, warning the audience that “in Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.” Vance used the occasion of the security conference to ask what had happened to the victorious free nations that won the Cold War. He even noted that while the NATO and EU countries gathered to discuss how to defend against national security threats, domestically countries like Germany and the United Kingdom punish people for praying silently near abortion clinics, censor and criminalize speech. Vance challenged the EU to explain what democratic values are being protected by nations that take these actions.
