Do Real Americans Support Neo-Nazism?
A Saturday Prompt
What scale of arrogance and hypocrisy does it take for JD Vance to go to the Munich Security Conference yesterday, stand before European allies and attack their commitment to democracy and free speech? What level of ignorance is required to tell them—Europeans who suffered the deadliest of wars—that their biggest problems stem from their failure to embrace extremist voices? What depth of cynicism to fail to meet with Olaf Scholz, Germany’s president, but make time to confer with Alice Weidel, candidate for chancellor and leader of the far-right, neo-Nazi leader of the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) nine days before an election?
How stupid does Vance think these European leaders are to believe him when he gaslights by saying that “just as the Biden administration seemed desperate to silence people for speaking their minds, so the Trump administration will do precisely the opposite”? What scale of craven egotism is needed for this man—an obedient servant of Donald Trump— to tell this audience that they are suffering from authoritarianism, “entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way”?
There was not a single word from Vance about an American commitment to Ukraine, which is fighting with the blood of its people for democracy. There was not a single sentence questioning the murderous danger of Russia and Vladimir Putin, not only to the country he invaded but all other democratic nations threatened by his hostility toward democracy and European unity. Vance had nothing to say, of course, about Trump’s criminal efforts to overturn the 2020 election, his moves to silence dissent and seek retribution against perceived enemies, or the banning from the White House on multiple occasions of an Associated Press reporter because the AP continues to refer to the Gulf of Mexico rather than the Gulf of America.
It was an appalling display of hostility, hypocrisy, arrogance and ignorance. It’s hard to overstate what a terrible precedent this speech sets for the role of America on the global stage and particularly among our traditional democratic allies. A phrase like “pariah state” comes to mind, which risks becoming more real if and when Trump proudly and publicly turns his back on Ukraine and embraces Putin and other anti-democratic dictators around the world.
Note how Germany’s defense minister, Boris Pistorius, countered Vance. He said that “every opinion has a voice in this democracy. It makes it possible for partly extremist parties like AfD to campaign completely normally, just like every other party.” But he also clearly stated that “democracy doesn’t mean that the loud minority is automatically right,” and that “democracy must be able to defend itself against the extremists who want to destroy it.”
President Scholz posted on X to “emphatically reject” Vance’s remarks, underlining his nation’s dark history and lessons learned. “Out of the experiences of Nazism, the democratic parties in Germany have a joint consensus—that is the firewall against extreme right-wing parties.” And, “We reject any idea working together with the extreme right and its not on others to give us advices to do so.”
I’m grateful for the moral clarity of these two German leaders and their refusal to be attacked by Vance for their so-called democratic failures. I’m frankly embarrassed by Vance, who both humiliated himself and humiliated our nation in Europe yesterday. And I’m honestly worried about the future of our transatlantic alliances—built with care over the last century—and particularly America’s involvement with NATO. In my view, real Americans support democracy and recognize the danger of extremism. Real Americans stand with our European allies.
What do you think? Do real Americans support neo-Nazism? Put another way, how ugly were Vance’s comments and how wrong was he to interject himself into Germany’s upcoming election? How do you view his 30-minute meeting with the leader of the neo-Nazi AfD party? And what do you expect will be the continuing fallout both now and in the coming years?
As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity for this community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful in your remarks. Trolling will not be tolerated.
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One other note: Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak on Substack Live with Ukraine-based Tim Mak, who was in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. Tim publishes The Counteroffensive on Substack. We had a great conversation not only about what Ukraine is facing with the Trump takeover, but how he’s handling the stress and challenges of this period. Spoiler alert: That includes spending time in sauna.
I am disgusted that Vance, Hegseth, Trump, Rubio and Musk have been able to lay waste to our standing in the world in a mere three weeks. Their combination of arrogance and ignorance coupled with the apparent fact that they think every meeting is a MAGA rally, will set back US soft, and the effective use of hard, power for decades. And far too many people, not just the MAGAs, do not understand what that means.
It's been said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. It seems very ironic that Vance is in Munich in 2025 to give away part of Ukraine to Russia, the same city in which Neville Chamberlain gave the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Hitler in 1938. How did that cowardice work out?