False information on X
Why Christoph Heusgen really cried at the Munich Security Conference
In his speech at the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen came to tears. On social media, fake news is circulating about the emotional outbreak of the 69-year-old.
Christoph Heusgen was at the head of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) for three years. At this year’s meeting in the Bavarian court, it obviously found it difficult for him to say goodbye. As head of the top-class expert meeting, former NATO general secretary Jens Stoltenberg replaces him.
“Let me get to the end, and it will be difficult …” said Heusgen and started crying in the middle of the sentence. The audience reacted with applause. This scene is shared by numerous users on the news platform X – and put in a wrong context.
The reason for Heusgens tears at the Munich Security Conference
In his farewell speech at the MSC 2025, Heusgen thanked those present and especially the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj. Mercilessly refer to users on social media to ensure that Heusgen and high -ranking German politicians were still laughing before the United Nations in 2018 during a speech by Donald Trump. At that time, the US President had warned Germany to make himself too dependent on Russian oil.
Others claim that the tears of the former top diplomat and consultant by Chancellor Angela Merkel are a reaction to the controversial speech by US Vice President JD Vance. Some divided videos are cut together so that this impression arises.
Heusgen had actually criticized Vance’s words and reminded that the conference was originally launched as a platform to strengthen transatlantic relationships. This year’s security conference was “a European nightmare in a sense,” he said in. However, his emotional outbreak is related to his farewell and therefore mostly have personal reasons.
On Monday afternoon Heusgen commented on X. “I was very happy that the entire MSC team and so many friends said goodbye to me after my last conference. That was an emotional moment on stage at the end of my term”, “, Writes the 69-year-old, and also comments on the shared false information about his tears: “A video is spread on the net that tears this scene from the context of my farewell. Unfortunately, this again shows how the mechanisms work from disinformation.”
A video is spread on the net that tears this scene from the context of my farewell. Unfortunately, this shows again how the mechanisms work from disinformation. (2/2)
– Christoph Heusgen (@mscheusgen) February 17, 2025
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Due to their data protection settings, this content was not invited to protect their privacy.
Heusgen made the world’s most important expert meeting on security policy “stronger, wider and better,” said successor Stoltenberg. It is therefore easier for him to build on this “excellent work”. The 65-year-old takes on an immediate effect and will organize and lead the next security conference in February 2026. However, he lets his new task rest for half a year. The reason for this is that Stoltenberg was appointed to a transitional government of his home country of Norway as finance minister.
Note: This text has been updated and complemented by Christoph Heusgen’s statements.
LW
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
