Photo credit: www.thewrap.com
JD Vance and Mehdi Hasan Engage in Heated Exchange Over Free Speech
In a Twitter spat that unfolded on February 17, 2025, U.S. Senator JD Vance directed a derogatory remark at veteran journalist Mehdi Hasan, branding him a “dummy” after Hasan challenged Vance’s claims regarding free speech issues. The conflict arose when Hasan pointed out the apparent hypocrisy of the vice president criticizing European officials for purportedly suppressing free expression while simultaneously blocking the Associated Press (AP) from covering the White House.
Vance responded to Hasan’s tweet, stating, “Yes dummy. I think there’s a difference between not giving a reporter a seat in the WH press briefing room and jailing people for dissenting views. The latter is a threat to free speech, the former is not. Hope that helps!”
The exchange ignited on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, when Hasan, who previously worked for MSNBC and currently serves as the CEO of Zeteo News, tagged Vance in a post linking to an Axios article. This article discussed the Trump administration’s recent decision to indefinitely bar the Associated Press from the White House, which many observers view as a significant assault on press freedom.
The ban was allegedly implemented due to the AP’s refusal to comply with President Trump’s directive to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” In light of this decision, Hasan questioned Vance’s commitment to free speech, remarking, “I know you’re busy lecturing the Europeans on free speech, but have you seen this?”
This comment alluded to Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference earlier that week, where he criticized European governments for stifling free speech. Instead of discussing potential resolutions for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the vice president used his platform to accuse European Union leaders of suppressing fundamental values and neglecting pressing internal challenges.
Reports indicated that the reception to Vance’s speech was lackluster, drawing criticism from several international leaders, including European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas, who took issue with his assessment of free speech in Europe.
In response to Hasan’s query about his priorities, Vance reiterated his stance on the distinction between press exclusion and punitive measures against dissenting voices. Following this exchange, Hasan escalated his critique. He stated, “Thank you Mr. Vice President for taking time out of your busy schedule to call me names. But your boss Elon Musk just called for a ‘long prison sentence’ for CBS journalists, for edits he didn’t like. Did you not get the memo? Do you agree with Mr. Musk on locking up U.S. TV journos?”
After Hasan’s pointed remarks, he extended a public invitation for Vance to appear on his show, suggesting a dialogue about free speech in both the U.S. and Europe. “Open invite to the vice president to come on my show and do an interview with me about the state of free speech in the U.S. and Europe,” Hasan wrote. He expressed skepticism about whether Vance would accept, noting, “He won’t accept, of course, as he has a safe space on Fox. But I’m making the offer anyways, in the name of free speech and free debate.”
Source
www.thewrap.com