Europeans push back at US over claim they face 'civilizational erasure'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 6:09 AM EST, February 15, 2026


MUNICH (AP) — A top European Union official on Sunday rejected the notion that Europe faces “civilizational erasure,” pushing back at criticism of the continent by the Trump administration.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addressed the Munich Security Conference a day after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a somewhat reassuring message to European allies. He struck a less aggressive tone than Vice President JD Vance did in lecturing them at the same gathering last year but maintained a firm tone on Washington’s intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its policy priorities.

Kallas alluded to criticism in the U.S. national security strategy released in December, which asserted that economic stagnation in Europe “is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure.” It suggested that Europe is being enfeebled by its immigration policies, declining birth rates, “censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition” and a “loss of national identities and self-confidence.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/munich-conference-europe-trump-rubio-kallas-0efc0b3d464f118e3e5d6748113c9271

[walkingman]

1. For JD Vance to lecture anybody about anything is crazy. He is not worthy. ☮

[JoseBalow]

2. "civilizational erasure" is code for "becoming less white"

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. No one in the world looks at the Trump regime and says "that's what I call civilization"

It's literally true that Trump doesn't know what the word means. To him, it means "people who look like me" (and he is obsessed with looks - that "central casting" crap, that no one else has said for half a century). Civilization is a government and law enforcement that is subject to the rule of law, advances in science like vaccines or ways of combatting climate change, that kind of thing.

[ananda]

6. *This*

Exactly.

Everything Trump and co stand for is making
everyone and everything all white all the time.

[PatSeg]

8. Yep, barely even a dog whistle

The whole world knows what a hardcore racist Trump is.

[electric_blue68]

9. It's bern more like a Fog Horn! And Thundercracks!

BOOM!!!

[PatSeg]

10. Oh definitely "foghorn"

They used to pretend they weren't racist, but now they don't even bother. At least they're being more upfront and honest about who they are. I suppose that's evolution in a perverse way.

[Solly Mack]

3. Rubio's racism was somewhat coded. That doesn't translate into less aggressive as racism is never

not aggressive.

[Quanto Magnus]

4. What they mean is

they can't be racist anymore... or at least not without consequences (most of the time).

[BaronChocula]

7. "DON'T DRAG US INTO YOUR WHITE NATIONALIST BULLSHIT"

In other words.