The speech by the US vice president, JD Vance, at the Munich Conference on Security was undoubtedly a powerful shock for Europe, which was well and truly introduced to the “climate” of the new US leadership and the so-called “Trump doctrine”.

After all, as Vance himself said at one point in his speech, “there’s a new sheriff in town.”

During his speech, the US vice president addressed Europe in high and highly critical tones, chiding the leaders of the Old Continent on issues such as freedom of speech and immigration, which the US has placed quite high on its agenda.

Vance’s speech stunned the audience in the room in which he spoke – although at the end he invoked a quote from Pope John Paul II – calling on leaders “not to be afraid” and to “embrace what your people tell you, even when it is surprising, even when you don’t agree.”

“We should not be afraid of our people, even when they express views that disagree with their leadership,” he concluded, receiving lukewarm applause.

“If you run in fear of your voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor, in fact, is there anything you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump,” Vance added, prompting a wave of reactions.

How many times must we endure terrorism before we adopt a new direction?

Vance also appeared critical of the management of immigration and referred to the 24-year-old Afghan attacker in yesterday’s attack in Munich.

“How many times must we suffer these horrific failures before we change course and lead our shared civilization in a new direction?” he said, while also referring to Brexit where people voted for political leaders who promised to end uncontrolled immigration.

“If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Tunberg’s squawking, you can survive a few months of Elon Musk, he said.

At the same time, he said that German democracy – like any democracy – would not survive if leaders tell millions of voters that their thoughts and concerns, their expectations, their calls for relief, are invalid or unworthy of even consideration.

On the far right, he said that “there is no room for firewalls.”

Your democracy “was not very strong”

JD Vance also referred to the cancellation of the Romanian election, saying the development was “based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its neighbours.”

According to the US vice president, democracy cannot be destroyed by digital advertising from a foreign country. “If you believe that, then your democracy was not very strong from the beginning,” he said.

He also criticized the organizers of the Munich conference for preventing populist parties from participating in the event. “We don’t have to agree […] but it is our obligation to at least engage in dialogue with them.”

Vance spoke of entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words that don’t like the idea that someone with an alternative viewpoint might express a different viewpoint or, heaven forbid, vote differently or, worse, win the election.

“We shouldn’t just talk about democratic values, we should live them.”

At the same time, he criticized Europe for restricting freedom of speech. “We need to do more than just talk about democratic values. We have to live with them. In the vivid memory of many of you in this room, the Cold War pitted the defenders of democracy against far more tyrannical forces on this continent. And consider which side in that struggle censored dissenters, closed churches, and canceled elections. Was it the good guys? Certainly not,” he said.

“And thank God they lost the Cold War. They lost because they didn’t appreciate or respect all the extraordinary blessings of freedom, the freedom to surprise, to make mistakes, to invent, to build. As it turns out, you can’t force innovation or creativity, just as you can’t force on people what to think, what to feel, or what to believe, and we believe that these things are certainly connected,” he noted.

“And unfortunately, when I look at Europe today, sometimes it’s not so clear what happened to some of the victors of the Cold War,” Vance added.

Criticisms of the EU establishment

Vance’s sights were not lost on the EU establishment, which he accused of “frivolous statements” about democracy and understanding of rights.

“The threat I am most concerned about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it is not China, it is not any other external factor; what I am concerned about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values that it shares with the United States of America,” he said

He criticized former Commissioner Thierry Breton, though he did not name him, who he said “recently went on television and sounded excited that the Romanian government had just canceled an entire election process” and suggested that “the same thing could happen in Germany.”

Vance spoke of flippant statements that shocked American ears. “For years, we’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 touted as a defense of democracy,” he said.

“But when we see European courts annulling elections and senior officials threatening to annul others, we have to ask ourselves whether we are holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard,” he added, noting, however, that fundamentally the two sides are on the same team.

“We can reach a reasonable settlement” with Russia, the US vice president added.

The US vice president also noted that it is becoming less and less clear why Europe is defending itself. “What is the positive vision that animates this security pact?” he asked. “I believe deeply that there is no security if you are afraid of the voices and opinions that drive your people.”

Germany divided over Vance’s statements – AfD and Russia celebrate

Reactions within Germany are already being caused by Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called the remarks unacceptable, while the leaders of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Zara Wagenicht Alliance (BSW) were quick to express their satisfaction with the US vice president’s comments.

“Democracy across Europe was put in question by the US vice president. He talks about the cancellation of democracy. And if I understand him correctly, he compares conditions in parts of Europe to authoritarian regimes, that is unacceptable,” Pistorius said. The chairman of the Bundestag’s Defence Committee Maskus Ferber commented that “at least now we know what to expect from Washington, division instead of reconciliation,” he added: “I heard someone on the campaign trail. I would have liked to have listened to a vice president.”

In contrast, the reaction of AfD leader Alice Weidel was enthusiastic, they described JD’s speech as “excellent” and “impressive” and quoted a passage from the US vice president’s speech: “There are no firewalls in democracy,” and commented that the CDU, CSU, SPD and Green Party representatives did not applaud Vance.

Almost in the same vein, BSW leader Zara Wagenknecht said that “it must have been a shock to the European establishment that depends on the US that a US vice-president criticises them on issues of free speech and the culture of nullification”. However, Vance, she continued, “said almost nothing about the central issue of peace and security. That was not enough.”

Russian television applauds JD Vance’s statements

The Russian side responds particularly positively to JD Vance’s inflammatory speech.

“It was very nice to hear Vance’s very strong speech,” says a correspondent for Rossiya 1, which is also one of the largest TV stations, with the presenter talking about “public flogging.”

The presenter even stood by Vance’s reports that she was particularly concerned about “the threat from within” rather than Russian or Chinese meddling in Europe.

Meanwhile, European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas, said today that listening to US Vice President J.D. Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference, she got the sense that Washington was “trying to pick a fight” with Europe.