Martin urges European leaders to 'focus on what happens, not what is said' after Vance's pointed speech

Taoiseach Micheál Martin is to meet with US administration representatives while in Munich and said he will impress upon them the importance of Ireland's contribution to the US economy in light of ongoing threats of tariffs from the US. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The Taoiseach has urged European leaders to "focus on what happens, not what is said" after the US vice president launched a stunning attack on the EU, and warned that Donald Trump is the "new sheriff in town".

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, JD Vance launched an ideological assault on Europe, accusing its leaders of suppressing free speech, failing to halt illegal migration, and running in fear from voters’ true beliefs.

In a chastising speech that openly questioned whether current European values warranted defence by the US, he painted a picture of European politics infected by media censorship, cancelled elections, and political correctness. 

Arguing that the true threat to Europe stemmed not from external actors such as Russia or China, but Europe’s own internal retreat from some of its “most fundamental values”, he repeatedly questioned whether the US and Europe any longer had a shared agenda. 

“What I worry about is the threat from within,” Vance said.

Mr Vance had been expected to address the critical question of the Ukraine war and security differences between Washington and Europe. Instead, he widely skated over these to deliver a lecture on what he claimed was the continent’s failure to listen to the concerns of voters. Vance said of Donald Trump’s re-election: 

There is a new sheriff in town. Democracy will not survive if their people’s concerns are deemed invalid or, even worse, not worth being considered.

However, while numerous European politicians hit out at Mr Vance, when asked about the vice-president's comments, Taoiseach Micheál Martin urged caution.

"My view is we've got to see what pattern emerges, and to concentrate more on what actually happens as opposed to what gets said," Mr Martin said.

"That has been my focus up to now, both in terms of economy and in terms of various issues, geopolitical issues as well, but also saying very firmly that European democracy is robust. 

It is a very attractive place for people to come to live, and that's why so many people want to come to Europe on the basis that it is a free society and that it nurtures freedom of speech.

Mr Martin is to meet with US administration representatives while in Munich and said he will impress upon them the importance of Ireland's contribution to the US economy in light of ongoing threats of tariffs from the US.

"I will be making the point in terms of the Irish contribution to the US — we're the sixth largest investor in the US. The devil will be in the detail here, and we have to really assess what would happen over time," he told RTÉ. 

"It's about what actually happens, rather than doing the running commentary every single day in what has been a very energetic start, to say the least, to the new US administration."