Vance played down his differences with Trump on the war in Iran -Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
(Reach Publishing Services Limited)
After being relatively silent on social media for weeks since the Iran war, JD Vance faced a particularly tough question from a journalist at the White House on Monday, which triggered him to go on the defense.
Vance has engaged in minimal public activity for the last few weeks since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, leading many to speculate that this is to avoid awkward questions about his previous anti-Iran war stance.
“Are you completely on board with the war in Iran?” One reporter, Philip Wegmann, asked the vice president on Monday.
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Vance responded by accusing the reporter of trying to cause hostilities between him and the president, saying, “I know what you’re trying to do, Phil, you’re trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the president…”
He added, “The president said consistently, going back to 2015, and I agreed with him, is that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. We have taken this action under the president’s leadership, and I think all of us, whether you’re a democrat or a republican, should pray for its success and pray for the safety of our troops. That’s the approach that I’ve taken.”
The reporter then pressed the VP harder, adding, “So there’s no hesitation, given your past statements, with the current operation?”
Vance hit back, “What do you mean there’s no hesitation with my past statements?”
“Given your skepticism of foreign adventurism, you were a critic of the Global War on Terror previously.”
US Vice President JD Vance speaks during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday
To which Vance resorted to stroking the president’s ego regarding his intelligence, saying, “Well, I think one big difference, Phil, is that we have a smart president, whereas in the past we’ve had dumb presidents. And I trust President Trump to get the job done, to do a good job for the American people, and to make sure that the mistakes of the past aren’t repeated. Absolutely.”
Some users on X characterized the exchange as Vance continuing to avoid answering the question of whether or not he supports the war in Iran, and called his response “performative.”
“Still didn’t answer the question. Just called every previous president dumb and moved on. Classic non-answer with extra steps,” one person wrote.
Another person said, “JD Vance: ‘I know what you’re trying to do.’ Translation: compliment the boss, diss the past, dodge the direct question. Classic political pivot. Can we skip the performance and get an actual stance on escalation?”
Back in 2023, when Vance originally pledged his support to Donald Trump before he became president for the second time, the VP claimed in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that the main reason for his support was that Trump “started no wars.”
Vance’s silence and apparent support of the U.S. military action toward Iran is considered a huge political setback for him, according to Politico. They spoke to an anonymous leader of a right-leaning non-profit organization in early March about the VP’s stance change.
“It’s pretty bad for Vance. He had to perform the dutiful task of being the subordinate and trying to convince people like us that this was actually in good hands — and that’s a tough pill to swallow.”