Familiar Words, but a Different Understanding of Concepts?
A semantic analysis of U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s speech on “democracy” and “shared values” reveals that we no longer share the same fundamental understanding.
On February 14, 2025, U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference. His message initially sounded conciliatory: the United States and Europe, he claimed, shared “common values” and remained “on the same side of history.” But what exactly does Vance mean by democracy and shared values? And does this mean the same thing from a European perspective?
A semantic analysis of his speech reveals that these terms conceal fundamentally different understandings. While Vance defines democracy as the direct implementation of the majority’s will without regulatory constraints, European states see it as a liberal system of governance with institutional safeguards. Likewise, whereas he reduces shared values primarily to individual freedoms, religious liberty, and national sovereignty—aligned with the MAGA (“Make America Great Again”) philosophy—Europe emphasizes multilateralism, human rights, and the rule of law. These political differences become evident in the analysis through the definition and use of linguistic concepts.
The transcript of his speech is available for download here [PDF, English language]:
JD Vance and His Understanding of "Shared Values" at the Munich Security Conference
U.S. Vice President JD Vance presents "shared values" as a commitment to individual freedom. He particularly emphasizes freedom of speech and criticizes European regulations against hate speech as well as legal restrictions on protests and prayer. He points to the example of a British law that bans prayers near abortion clinics, portraying this as an attack on religious freedom. For him, religious expression, especially prayer, is an indispensable part of Western identity.
He sees democratic legitimacy as threatened when European elites annul elections or exclude undesirable political parties. As an example, he cites the annulment of the Romanian presidential election due to alleged Russian interference. Additionally, he stresses the importance of national sovereignty and warns of the dangers of migration, which he claims governments are ignoring. He directly links the recent terrorist attack in Munich to an overly permissive migration policy. For Vance, defending shared values primarily means resisting state intervention in freedom of speech, religion, and national decision-making.
Democracy: Majority Rule or a Protected System?
His understanding of democracy also shows significant differences from the European perspective. U.S. Vice President Vance emphasizes that democracy means implementing the will of the voters without filtration and criticizes European elites for annulling elections or excluding opposition parties. He sees the firewall against the AfD as an example of undemocratic behavior, arguing that it excludes a legitimate political movement.
In his speech, he also warns of what he calls a “soft authoritarianism,” where European measures against disinformation or social media regulations are used as tools of censorship. He is particularly critical of transnational influence on national elections, which he attributes to the European Commission. For Vance, democracy is a process that exists solely to implement the majority's will and should not include special protection mechanisms for minorities.
Visual Analysis of "Democracy" and "Shared Values": Familiar Words, but Different Conceptual Understandings
Our semantic analysis reveals that the terms democracy and shared values in JD Vance’s discourse carry a different meaning than in the European context. This is illustrated through a relationship diagram, which maps the core concepts of Shared Values and Democracy by linking them to dependent concepts such as Free Speech, making the underlying worldview visible.
The visualization highlights that JD Vance associates democracy with majority rule and anti-censorship, whereas shared values are primarily defined by freedom of speech, religious liberty, and national sovereignty. In contrast, the European perspective understands democracy as a system of checks and balances and views shared values through the lens of the rule of law and the protection of individual rights.
A Community of Values, but with Contrasting Understandings? A Semantic Analysis Perspective
JD Vance claims that the United States and Europe share a common value system. However, a closer analysis of his speech reveals that the terms he uses do not semantically align with European interpretations.
While the Trump administration understands democracy as unrestricted majority rule, in Europe, it is seen as a system safeguarded by institutional mechanisms against abuse. Whereas Vance emphasizes individual freedoms, including those associated with libertarian, populist, or right-wing ideologies, European states prioritize the rule of law and multilateralism. The American government’s new interpretation of individual freedom also manifests in a rejection of gender-inclusive language, woke ideology, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. This perspective is reflected in actions such as the removal of fact-checking mechanisms on platforms like X and Facebook. While Vance argues that regulating speech threatens democracy, European governments counter that such regulation is necessary to contain extremist movements.
These semantic differences are more than mere rhetoric; they have direct political implications for transatlantic relations, ranging from NATO strategy to EU-USA cooperation and even the support of populist parties by representatives of the Trump administration. The key question is not only whether the U.S. and Europe are still on the same team but whether they even mean the same thing when they use the same words.
The analysis of Vance’s speech is just one of many aimed at understanding the evolving concept of democracy in the American context.