JD Vance actions paint him as 'hypocrite' in year after vaunted speech: analysis

A speech given by Vice President JD Vance in Munich last year directly contradicts his actions in office, a political analyst claimed Tuesday.

Vance has tackled free speech frequently during his time in office, more recently coming to the defense of X owner Elon Musk, whose company is facing a wider investigation into its AI chatbot, Grok. Vance defended Musk against European Commission investigations of the Tesla CEO late last year.

But Vance would also use his platform in Europe to warn against the split between world leaders and the U.S. under Donald Trump. He said at the time, "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.

"If you are afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people … If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor for that matter is there anything you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump."

It's a speech that Salon writers Austin Sarat and Thomas Dumm suggested is ironic now, especially given the actions of Vance in office since the speech was given.

The pair wrote, "The administration’s version of free speech encourages the expression of views by its friends and chills the expression of those it perceives as enemies. Vance and Trump believe that the United States is in a battle for the survival of 'civilization' — by which they mean Christian, capitalist, conservative civilization.

"There is nothing subtle about what they are doing. That’s why they label opponents as “enemies within,” and speech they disapprove of as treason.

"Memories may be short in politics, and Vance may have forgotten what he said a year ago in Munich. But Americans should not allow themselves to be gaslighted by all his talk about free speech.

"Since then, Vance has cheered on the president’s repeated attacks on the First Amendment and has become not only a hypocrite but also a willing participant in curtailing free expression in the United States."