J.D. Vance's Munich Betrayal

The Moment America Abandoned The West

This week, Donald Trump stunned the world when he called up Vladimir Putin and talked about a plan to force Ukraine to accept the unjust Russian “peace.” We then learned he tried to shake down the Ukrainians by saying he would only supply military aid if they agreed to turn over their critical minerals. And then, just a few days later, in Munich, J.D. Vance launched a disgraceful tirade against Western democracy.

The fact that Munich was the place where Vance tore the Western alliance apart is laden with very dark historical irony. We may look back on Munich 2025 as the moment when America made it clear they stand with tyranny and extremism over the international democratic order. In the process, they seem determined to sell out the people of Ukraine.

It echoes Munich 1938 when Prime Minister Chamberlain sold out Czechoslovakia in the hopes of appeasing Hitler.

Karl Marx, a withering judge of weak men, would have loved to see Vance in action. As Marx wrote, “History repeats. First as tragedy and then as farce.” If it weren’t so deadly serious, Vance’s appearance in Munich would have easily won the award as the most immature idiot tirade in memory.

His big one-liner from the event was:

“If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.”

The fact that Elon Musk is promoting far-right extremist parties in Germany didn’t seem to bother Vance. His joke landed like a bomb. But that’s because everyone knew he wasn’t kidding.

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Where we go from here is anything but clear.

Let’s start with the Munich comparison. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has gone down in History as the symbol of political naivety for his decision to sell out the people of Czechoslovakia in the hopes of securing “peace in our time” with Hitler.

The problem with historical references is that we benefit from hindsight, so condemning those who supported Chamberlain is easy. But at the time, many in the United States and the United Kingdom thought Chamberlain symbolized cool-headed thinking.

But not everybody was buying what Chamberlain was trying to sell.

In a 1938 poem, “Harsh word for the British Premier,” published in Globe and Mail, Judith Robinson wrote:

“Who shall stand if freedom falls? Who dies if England lives?... This land of such dear souls, …hath made a shameful conquest of herself.”

Vance and Trump have made it clear that they are willing to let freedom fall as they struggle to impose American power on the world. To the delight of Vladimir Putin, they have made a “shameful conquest” of themselves.

We do not have the ability to look ahead to see whether this week will be a deadly turning point in world history. But we must be realistic.

Canada has never been more alone. More threatened.

Perhaps we will be able to build stronger alliances with our European allies. Or we may be forced to go it alone. What we learned in Munich is that the United States is a nation that can no longer be trusted. It is no longer an ally. Like Vladimir Putin’s Russia, it has become a predator.

But Trump is a conman, not a global leader. He is overseeing a nation that is more divided than ever. Whereas Canada is more united than we have ever been.

I’ll take those odds any day.

Slava Ukraini. Slava Canada.

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