{"id":16553,"date":"2025-02-14T18:22:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T18:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/14\/a-new-sheriff-in-town-jd-vance-pushes-europe-on-migration-free-speech-national\/"},"modified":"2025-02-14T18:22:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T18:22:43","slug":"a-new-sheriff-in-town-jd-vance-pushes-europe-on-migration-free-speech-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/14\/a-new-sheriff-in-town-jd-vance-pushes-europe-on-migration-free-speech-national\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A new sheriff in town\u2019: JD Vance pushes Europe on migration, free speech – National"},"content":{"rendered":"


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In a blistering speech on Friday, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance<\/a> told European leaders \u201cthere is a new sheriff in town under Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> leadership\u201d and warned governments that internal threats to democracy, like election cancellations and censorship, are greater threats to their countries than external antagonists like China and Russia.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe threat that I worry the most about vis-\u00e0-vis Europe is not Russia, it\u2019s not China, it\u2019s not any other external actor,\u201d Vance said, speaking at the Munich Security Conference<\/a>. \u201cWhat I worry about is the threat from within \u2014 the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard a lot about what you need to defend yourselves from and of course, that\u2019s important. But what has seemed a little bit less clear to me \u2026 is what exactly you\u2019re defending yourselves for?\u201d<\/p>\n

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In his own remarks to the conference, Vance lectured European officials on free speech and illegal migration on the continent, warning elected officials that they risk losing public support if they don\u2019t quickly change course.<\/p>\n

He specifically targeted the December 2024\u00a0cancellation of Romania\u2019s elections<\/a>, which were annulled by the country\u2019s top court after accusations of Russian meddling, dismissing worries of disinformation as \u201cugly Soviet-era words.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDismissing people, dismissing their concerns \u2026 shutting down media, shutting down elections \u2026 protects nothing. It is the most surefire way to destroy democracy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you\u2019re running in fear of your own voters there\u2019s nothing America can do for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The vice-president also warned the European officials against illegal migration, saying the electorate didn\u2019t vote to open \u201cfloodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants\u201d and referencing an attack Thursday in Munich<\/a> where the suspect is a 24-year-old Afghan who arrived in Germany as an asylum seeker in 2016.<\/p>\n

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He stressed that Europe must \u201cstep up\u201d in managing its own security, taking a combative tone during a time of increasing transatlantic discord around trade, defence and other issues.<\/p>\n

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And despite Trump\u2019s top allies\u2019 repeated attacks on journalists, Democrats and perceived critics, Vance hit out at his boss\u2019 predecessor, former president Joe Biden, who Vance said \u201cseemed desperate to silence people for speaking their minds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a new sheriff in town under Donald Trump\u2019s leadership,\u201d Vance said. \u201cWe may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square. Agree or disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n