On February 14, 2025, US Vice President JD Vance used the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) – an event from which populist left- and right-wing parties were excluded – to address Europe's departure from certain democratic principles. His speech met with little approval in the hall, and the majority of leading media outlets in Europe reacted with open rejection. This is hardly surprising, since attempts are being made to publicly sell precisely those issues that deeply aff