JD Vance Dunks On Former MSNBC Host Over Free Speech Debate

Vice President J.D. Vance explained the difference between denying a media outlet access and jailing people for speech in a Monday post on X to former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan.

Vance criticized European leaders over censorship and immigration while speaking at the Munich Security Conference Friday. Hasan took to X to question Vance over the Trump administration allegedly barring the Associated Press from the Oval Office over the media outlet’s decision to continue using the term “Gulf of Mexico” in relation to the body of water President Donald Trump renamed the “Gulf of America” in a Jan. 20 executive order.

“Hey @JDVance, I know you’re busy lecturing the Europeans on free speech, but have you seen this?” Hasan posted on X Monday, referencing a post by Axios White House correspondent Marc Caputo regarding the AP’s lack of access.

“Yes dummy. I think there’s a difference between not giving a reporter a seat in the WH press briefing room and jailing people for dissenting views,” Vance responded on X. “The latter is a threat to free speech, the former is not. Hope that helps!”

During Friday’s speech in Munich, Vance accused European leaders of “running in fear” from their voters and questioning the decision to nullify Romania’s presidential election. The vice president also directly addressed Great Britain and Germany over laws that suppress speech that is deemed “hateful.”

Authorities in the countries have arrested citizens over alleged speech violations said aloud or shared online. In one such instance, a British army veteran was convicted for praying outside an abortion clinic in October 2024.

“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,” Vance said. “And I say ‘ourselves’ because I fundamentally believe that we are on the same team. We must do more than talk about democratic values. We must live them.”

“Within living memory of many of you in this room, the Cold War positioned defenders of democracy against tyrannical forces on this continent,” Vance continued. “Consider the side in that fight that censored dissidents, closed churches, and canceled elections. Were they the good guys? Certainly not.”

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