JD Vance Is Right: Democratic Values Are In Retreat. Here’s Why

When U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland on March 28, 2025, he said that Denmark has not ... More done a good job by the people of Greenland. Vance is also not impressed with Europe. But perhaps the reason why democratic values ​​are in retreat is not only to be found in Europe? (Photo by Jim Watson - Pool)
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Two weeks ago, I wrote a Forbes article titled, “Greenland Has Spoken: What Trump Doesn’t Get About Danish Leaders”, arguing that the U.S. President and his team are unlikely to win the Greenlanders over by continuing to speak badly about Denmark. Two days ago, Vice President JD Vance stood on Greenlandic soil, saying: “Our message to Denmark is very simple, you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.”
I did not expect either President Trump or JD Vance to listen to a Danish philosopher. And I also have my doubts about whether they will listen to the Danish Foreign Minister, even when he sends a direct message to them in English.
But I think both Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance expect me and my Danish and European countrymen to listen to them. And we should. Trump and JD Vance are right when they say Europe must assume its responsibilities. And when JD Vance talked about “the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values” at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2025, we must ask ourselves: Is he right?
3 Reasons JD Vance Is Right: A Danish Perspective
The short answer is yes. But unlike Vance’s message to Denmark, it is by no means simple. Because the retreat from democratic values is not only a European problem. It’s a global problem. Democratic values are eroding everywhere, including in the U.S. And according to a Danish democracy thinker, there are good reasons for that.
In 1945, just as World War II was ending, the Danish politician and theologian Hal Koch published a book titled What is Democracy? which has recently been translated into English. Koch’s main point was that democracy is not merely a form of governing, but a lifestyle and a mindset that each generation must be brought up with. Democracy, he argued, is only real when it is based on genuine conversation. Not simple messages in simple speeches, but active listening to other people’s points of view.