But Europe doesn't believe that, or at least European leaders don't. They see even facts about crime, immigration, and corruption as "hate speech" and will go out of their way to punish people for stating the obvious. Even public prayer is seen as criminal. 

As you've likely seen by now, VP J.D. Vance called this out while at the Munich Security Conference where he came down on European countries for criminalizing free speech. Vance, pointed to various countries, including the U.K., where people are being led to prison for praying near an abortion clinic: 

And perhaps most concerning, I look to our very dear friends in the United Kingdom where the backslide away from conscious rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britains in the crosshairs. A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith Connor, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and an army veteran with the heinous crime of standing 50 meters from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes. Not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own. 

And after British law enforcement spotted him and demanded to know what he was praying for, Adam replied simply it was on behalf of the unborn son he and his former girlfriend had aborted years before. Now, the officers were not moved, [and] Adam was found guilty of breaking the government's new buffer zones law, which criminalizes silent prayer and other actions that could influence a person's decision within 200 meters of an abortion facility.

As Bonchie covered, the reception to Vance's speech by European leaders wasn't warm. People mocked Vance, scoffed when he noted our "shared values," and called him a "puppet." All because he was advocating for free speech. One leader even got up and said in his own speech that Vance can't say that Europe doesn't have free speech... proving Vance right. 

This kicked off a free speech bash-fest that even America's own legacy media decided to get in on. ABC's Margaret Brennan literally attempted to sell the idea to Marco Rubio that the reason the Holocaust happened was because the Nazis "weaponized" free speech. Then "60 Minutes" did a puff report on German officials arresting people for online posts, even going so far as to accompany them on an arrest. 

(READ: '60 Minutes' Airs an All-Timer, and the Depths They Sink to Will Blow Your Mind)

It's pretty clear that the idea of "Western values" has shifted in Europe. There are now two different definitions, and these two definitions are not reconcilable. I have a feeling that this isn't going to stop at leaders trading barbs and expressing disagreements. This is going to escalate into a "speech cold war" where Europe attempts to enforce its idea of free speech on the Western world, and this could create even greater problems. 

I think European countries will first come for America's tech companies. This isn't exactly a far-fetched prediction. They're already talking about it. As CNN covered, the rumbling is already happening: 

“In Europe there is no place for illegal hate, either offline or online,” Henna Virkkunen, the commission’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said in a statement, adding that the commitments will help “ensure a safe digital space for all.”

It’s one of a number of differences in US versus EU tech users’ online experiences that have accumulated over time, Isabelle Wright, director of technology and society at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, told CNN.

“I think we’ve been heading in this direction for a while, but not just for hate speech, I think really for all categories of harm that most (other) Western nations cover in in their tech regulation,” Wright said. “It’s going to lead to an incredibly fractured information ecosystem between the US and essentially every other Western democracy.”

EU officials were warning Elon Musk they better not see hate speech on his own platform ahead of an interview with Donald Trump. They've made it clear how they view American tech companies as dangerous. Their Digital Service Act puts pressure on American tech companies already, but America has turned a cultural point where liberty and freedom are more prized than ever. 

Europe will likely demand more censorship in this Trump-driven era, and I can't imagine many American tech companies will budge more than they already have. I see this creating some real tensions between the U.S. and Europe, which may very well involve actions by the EU to pressure the U.S. into compliance. 

And I don't see Trump taking that lightly. Knowing him, Trump will likely begin sanctioning the hell out of anyone who attempts to curb free speech in any way that could affect Americans. Before the dust settles, I can see platforms like X and Rumble being banned in Europe. Meta platforms may play ball a bit more readily. 

I also see this creating a divide between Western nations, which are already starting to show outside the free speech discussion. As I covered in January, Argentinian President Javier Milei hinted at a coalition of nations that resist globalism and embrace capitalist economic policies while rejecting government dominance and socialist ideals. Among the leaders Milei said were with him, Trump was mentioned. 

We were already divided in big ways ideologically, and I have a feeling this subject could divide us even further. 

I imagine trade will become impacted further, tensions will build that will cause contracts and agreements to get tossed in the trash. In short, this won't be pretty, but I do think it's a battle worth fighting. 

I was under the impression we decided what "Western values" were back in the 1940s. It looks like we're going to be forced to revisit that conversation, but hopefully without the bloodshed this time.