{"id":2402686,"date":"2025-02-14T11:18:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T16:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-thumps-europe-over-free-speech-at-munich-security-conference\/"},"modified":"2025-02-14T11:19:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T16:19:21","slug":"vance-thumps-europe-over-free-speech-at-munich-security-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-thumps-europe-over-free-speech-at-munich-security-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Vance thumps Europe over free speech at Munich Security Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvance-thumps-europe-over-free-speech-at-munich-security-conference%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2402686&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During the\u200d Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President \u2063JD\u2062 Vance criticized European allies for failing to uphold free\u200c speech and religious liberties, diverging from the conference&#8217;s primary focus on the Russia-Ukraine war. He expressed concern over internal threats to Europe&#8217;s fundamental values, citing examples such as election annulments in\u200c Romania and legal actions against individuals expressing their beliefs in other\u200b countries. Vance \u200dquestioned whether recent European actions\u200d aligned with shared\u2063 democratic values, emphasizing the need for higher standards.He\u2062 also mentioned \u200ccriticisms of the Biden \u2062administration&#8217;s\u200b approach to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-republican-subpoenas-group-that-pushes-big-tech-companies-to-ban-users\/\" title=\"GOP Subpoenas Group Advocating Big Tech User Bans\">social media \u2064censorship<\/a>, promising that under a Trump presidency, freedom of speech would be \u200cstrongly defended. Vance reiterated calls for NATO allies to increase their defense spending and support for Ukraine while \u200baddressing concerns about the U.S. commitment to NATO. He concluded his speech with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/days-after-nashville-shooting-biden-condemns-violence-against-transgender-women\/\" title=\"Days After Nashville Shooting, Biden Condemns &#039;Violence Against Transg...er Women&#039;\">light-hearted comment<\/a> about the resilience of American democracy.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">JD Vance thumps European allies over free speech&nbsp;at Munich Security Conference<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1949832\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">JD Vance<\/a> scolded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/europe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">European<\/a> allies over free speech abuses and religious liberty during a high-profile speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Vance&rsquo;s comments were in stark contrast to the main topic of the conference: the negotiations to end the war between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Russia<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Although he made a few perfunctory comments about the war, Vance mostly stuck to chastising America&rsquo;s allies for not protecting religious freedom. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The threat that I worry the most about vis a vis Europe is not Russia, it&rsquo;s not China, it&rsquo;s not any other external actor,&rdquo; Vance said. &ldquo;And what I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/manchin-says-he-will-support-hyde-in-every-way-possible\/\" title=\"Manchin Says He Will ... Hyde \u2018In Every Way Possible\u2019\">vice president cited<\/a> several instances that gave him alarm, including Romania&rsquo;s constitutional court annulling the country&rsquo;s presidential election last year, Brussels warning citizens that social media would be shut down during times of civil unrest, the United Kingdom convicting a man for silently praying outside an abortion clinic, and Sweden&rsquo;s government convicting a Christian activist for participating in Quran burnings. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For years, we&rsquo;ve been told that everything we fund and support is in the name of our shared democratic values, everything from our Ukraine policy to digital censorship is billed as a defense of democracy,&rdquo; Vance said. &ldquo;But when we see European courts canceling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others, we ought to ask whether we&rsquo;re holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard. And I say ourselves because I fundamentally believe that we are on the same team.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Vance also slammed the Biden administration for threatening and bullying social media companies &ldquo;to censor so-called misinformation&rdquo; such as the COVID-19 pandemic lab leak theory, but he claimed that the Trump administration would be different.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In Washington, there is a new sheriff in town,&rdquo; the vice president said. &ldquo;And under Donald Trump&rsquo;s leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square, agree or disagree.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Vance used his speech in Munich to further drive home President Donald Trump&rsquo;s demands that NATO allies increase support for Ukraine, as he sticks by his America First ideology.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now this is a security conference, and I&rsquo;m sure you all came here prepared to talk about how exactly you intend to increase defense spending over the next few years in line with some new target,&rdquo; Vance said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s great because, as President Trump has made abundantly clear, he believes that our European friends must play a bigger role in the future of this continent.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t think you hear this term &lsquo;burden sharing,&#8217;&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;But we think it&rsquo;s an important part of being in a shared alliance together that the Europeans step up while America focuses on areas of the world that are in great danger.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, resulting in the two nations agreeing&nbsp;to &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3318154\/trump-putin-speak-agree-end-ukraine-war-immediately\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">start negotiations immediately<\/a>&rdquo; to end Russia&rsquo;s war in Ukraine. Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that same day. <\/p>\n<p>Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to meet with Zelensky on Friday in Munich. Defense Secretary&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pete Hegseth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3319356\/hegseth-rebukes-concerns-trump-putin-negotiations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">pushed back on European fears<\/a> that the U.S. is retreating on its support of Ukraine after he said Wednesday that he does not &ldquo;believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Before Vance&rsquo;s address to the security conference, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/europe\/vance-wields-threat-of-sanctions-military-action-to-push-putin-into-ukraine-deal-da9c18ac?mod=hp_lead_pos1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a>  reported the vice president claiming that if Putin did not agree to negotiations to end the war and guarantee Kyiv&rsquo;s independence, the U.S. would hit Moscow with sanctions and military action.<\/p>\n<p>Vance&rsquo;s team denied the reporting, claiming it was &ldquo;pure fake news&rdquo; and published excerpts of the interview. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Vice President didn&rsquo;t make any threats,&rdquo; Vance spokesman William Martin wrote. &ldquo;He simply stated the fact that no one is going to take options away from President Trump as these negotiations begin.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is pure fake news. Compare the transcript of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JDVance<\/a>&#8216;s conversation with WSJ to the headline being run here.<\/p>\n<p>The Vice President didn&rsquo;t make any threats. He simply stated the fact that no one is going to take options away from President Trump as these negotiations begin. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OSOo7ECBqr\">https:\/\/t.co\/OSOo7ECBqr<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MiAynLJZsi\">pic.twitter.com\/MiAynLJZsi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; William Martin (@wsmartin218) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wsmartin218\/status\/1890384085027103120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 14, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/carson-points-out-that-every-democratic-plan-has-backfired-in-trumps-favor-as-seen-in-the-bible-2\/\" title=\"Carson points out that every Democratic plan has backfired in ...&#039;s favor, as seen in the Bible\">vice president&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">roughly 20-minute speech ended<\/a> with him making a joke at the expense of two well-known, if controversial, figures.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I say this with all humor: If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg&rsquo;s scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk,&rdquo; Vance said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1949832\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1949832\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JD Vance criticizes European allies on free speech at Munich Conference<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2402687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/JD-Vance-at-Munich-Security-Conference.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3817,8447,32311,50396,15469],"class_list":["post-2402686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-diplomacy","tag-europe","tag-free-speech","tag-munich-security-conference","tag-vance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/JD-Vance-at-Munich-Security-Conference.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2402686"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2402690,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402686\/revisions\/2402690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2402687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2402686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2402686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2402686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}