President Trump on Friday applauded his vice president’s speech in Munich warning of the erosion of freedom of speech and other core values in Europe.

The president called the remarks “brilliant.”

“I heard his speech, and he talked about freedom of speech. And I think it’s true,” Mr. Trump said at the White House. “In Europe, they’re losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech. I see it. … Europe has to be careful.”

Vice President J.D. Vance, during remarks at the Munich Security Conference, condemned the conduct of European governments.

He said the governments disregarded the will of the people, overturning elections, flouting religious freedoms and turned a blind eye to illegal migration.

“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. And what I worry about is the threat from within,” Mr. Vance said. “The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.”

SEE ALSO: Vance chastises Europe over threat from ‘within,’ rails against censorship, migrant flood

“In Washington there is a new sheriff in town, and under Donald Trump’s leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square — agree or disagree,” he said.

“Dismissing people, dismissing their concerns … shutting down media, shutting down elections … protects nothing. It is the most surefire way to destroy democracy. … If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you,” he said.

Mr. Vance’s remarks stunned the European audience into silence as he rattled off a list of criticisms about different aspects of European Union countries.

This included Romania’s top court that overturned its November presidential election.

“When we see European courts canceling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others, we ought to ask whether we’re holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard,” Mr. Vance said.

He also criticized high levels of migration, similar to the illegal immigration issue that dominated the 2024 election in the U.S. Mr. Vance said he prayed for the victims of an attack Thursday in Munich in which a migrant rammed a car into a crowd, injuring 28.

SEE ALSO: German defense chief claps back at Vance over Munich conference speech

“How many times must we suffer these appalling setbacks before we change course and take our civilization in a different direction?” Mr. Vance asked.

• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.