Eek, JD Vance spent Valentine’s Day blasting Europe for its ‘appalling setbacks’

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Valentine’s Day is a time for love, or so they say. Personally, my plans fell through — don’t ask — but hey, at least I didn’t spend the day throwing a tantrum at an entire continent like JD Vance.

Vance decided to skip chocolates and roses and instead served up a 20-minute tirade against Europe’s so-called “appalling setbacks.” Now, I get it. Valentine’s Day isn’t for everyone. Maybe Vance just isn’t the “sappy love letter” type. Maybe he’s more of the “angry stepdad lecturing Europe at the dinner table” type. But still, standing in front of world leaders at the Munich Security Conference — a forum that’s literally about global defense and security — and choosing to rant about cultural issues? That’s cringe.

Vance used his time to accuse European governments of “running in fear of their own voters.” He claimed they’ve abandoned fundamental values, ignored migration concerns, and stifled free speech. Oh, and he made sure to throw shade at some specific countries, including the U.K. and Romania.

Vance’s focus on migration was especially telling. He brought up a recent incident in Munich where a migrant drove a car into a crowd, injuring 28 people, and used it as a springboard to argue that Europe’s immigration policies are destroying civilization. He even threw in some stats about how non-EU migration doubled between 2021 and 2022, which, okay, sure, migration is a complex issue. But blaming migrants for Europe’s problems feels like a lazy scapegoat — even the Pope is angry at Vance.

What’s particularly frustrating is how Vance framed these issues as existential threats to Western civilization. He tcalled for Europe to “change course” to save itself. Alarmism plays well with certain audiences, but this kind of rhetoric feels disingenuous. Migration and cultural shifts are challenges, yes, but they’re not apocalyptic.

According to a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, Germany could face a dramatic decline in labor numbers. The research estimates that, without an annual influx of about 288,000 immigrants, Germany’s workforce — currently sitting at approximately 46.4 million — could shrink to 41.9 million by 2040. By 2060, this number could plummet even further, potentially reaching just 35.1 million.

A major theme of Vance’s speech was his criticism of Europe for allegedly stifling free speech and ignoring voter concerns. “I believe deeply that there is no security if you are afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people,” the VP said. If Vance wants to talk about threats to democracy, maybe he should look a little closer to home. After all, the U.S. is the country where election denialism became a mainstream political strategy and where state legislatures are actively gerrymandering voters into oblivion.

Vance’s speech wasn’t really about Europe. It was about playing to his base back home — too bad Trump’s already swiping left on him for 2028. It was about framing himself (and by extension, the Trump administration) as the defenders of Western civilization against the forces of globalism, migration, and cultural change. It was populism on an international stage.

But yelling at Europe about its problems doesn’t make America stronger.  It doesn’t solve the war in Ukraine, it doesn’t strengthen NATO, and it definitely doesn’t make the world a safer place. All it does is alienate allies and make the U.S. look like that loud, obnoxious party guest who’s more interested in complaining about the music than actually helping clean up the mess. So, happy late Valentine’s Day, Vance. Next year, just stay home.

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