The US vice president has said he wants the “cradle of Christian civilization” to thrive

US Vice President J.D. Vance has warned that many European countries could be on the brink of “civilizational suicide” due to their lax border control policies and restrictions on free speech, echoing remarks he made at the Munich Security Conference last month.

In an interview with Fox News published on Friday, Vance highlighted the deep cultural and religious ties between the US and Europe, referring to the continent as “the cradle of Western civilization,” which he argued is now at great risk.

“The entire idea of Christian civilization that led to the founding of the United States of America was formed in Europe. The cultural bonds, the religious bonds – these things are going to last beyond political disagreements,” Vance said.

But I think that Europe – and frankly, I would have said this about America a year ago – is at risk, I think, of engaging in civilizational suicide.

Vance warned that a reluctance or inability to control borders, combined with efforts to restrict free speech when citizens protest issues like illegal immigration, could have serious consequences.

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“They are unable or unwilling – too many countries – to control their borders… You see them starting to limit the free speech of their own citizens even as those citizens are protesting against things like the border invasion that got [US President] Donald Trump and a number of European leaders elected,” the vice president explained, expressing hope that European countries will begin to address these issues.

Responding to criticism that his stance could strain relations between the US and its European partners, Vance argued that honest discussions between allies are essential.

“If you have a country like Germany, where you have another few million immigrants come in from countries that are totally culturally incompatible with Germany, then it doesn’t matter what I think about Europe,” he stated.

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Vance added that unchecked immigration in the EU could have repercussions for the US, as some individuals might eventually seek entry into America.

“I want Europe to thrive. I want them to be an important ally. Part of that is going to be Europe respecting its own people, respecting its own sovereignty, and America can’t do that job for them,” he said.

In February, Vance delivered a fiery speech at the Munich Security Conference, criticizing European leaders for fearing their own voters and failing to uphold democratic values while censoring opposing voices under the pretext of combating “disinformation.”

“The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor… what I worry about is the threat from within,” Vance said in a speech that Trump later described as “very brilliant.”