Vice President JD Vance appealed to disheartened MAGA youth in Georgia after setbacks on two recent assignments abroad.
Vice President JD Vance faces political setbacks abroad
Vice President JD Vance has faced political setbacks abroad as he tries to position himself as the future leader of the Republican Party.
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance acknowledged during a stop at a college campus that young conservatives who helped deliver the presidency to Donald Trump are frustrated with the administration amid the Iran war and need be to prodded to stay politically active leading into the midterms.
Appearing at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia on April 14, Vance said he recognizes that a “lot of young voters don’t love the policy that we have in the Middle East. OK, I understand that.”
Even so, Vance argued the administration has also taken steps to secure the border and lower housing and electricity costs and reduce the murder rate. “I’m not saying you have to agree with me on every issue,” he added. “What I’m saying is, don’t get disengaged because you disagree with the administration on one topic.”
Vance’s remarks nod to the administration’s political problem when it comes to the Iran war, which polling shows is unpopular. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that just 37% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of the war. Younger voters are more likely to have concerns, including young conservatives.
The Pew survey found that less than half – 49% – of young Republicans and Republican-leaning independents age 18 to 29 approve of Trump’s handling of Iran.
The war is spiking gas prices and global economists are warning of broad fallout. And after Trump campaigned as a staunch critic of previous U.S. wars in the Middle East, some who subscribed to his anti-interventionist, “America First” pledges are accusing his administration of betrayal.
As the political pressure builds, Trump tasked Vance with negotiating an end to the conflict. Peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan failed to produce a deal, though.
Bringing an end to the war is the biggest assignment yet for a vice president seen as a likely 2028 presidential contender and potential heir to Trump’s MAGA movement, and Vance’s performance is being closely watched. The failure to reach a quick deal was among a pair of setbacks for Vance in recent days – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also lost his reelection bid after Vance campaigned for him – that had critics mocking the vice president’s political touch.
“What a week for the @VP! He took the unusual step of campaigning for Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, who lost in a landslide today and led peace talks in Pakistan, which ended in failure yesterday. Not the time to buy a Powerball ticket!” former Barack Obama campaign chief David Axelrod said on X.
Vance’s political acumen under scrutiny amid Iran talks
Vance’s political skills are under scrutiny as his party heads into a midterm election that will decide control of Congress.
The vice president is helping lead the GOP’s midterm push in a tough election cycle for the party that will set up the 2028 presidential race. He is under pressure to help turn the tide for the GOP, but has faced turbulence as he tries to establish himself as MAGA’s future leader.
Trump has increasingly given his No. 2 challenging foreign policy assignments, sending him to Jerusalem last fall to help enforce a tepid ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
More recently, the vice president flew to Budapest, Hungary on April 6 to campaign for Orbán, a close Trump ally whose conservative populism influenced Trump’s political movement.
It is unusual for U.S. officials to campaign for a foreign leader, and the move prompted criticism that the Trump administration was meddling in another country’s election.
The day after he came back to the U.S., Vance was on a plane to Islamabad, Pakistan for high-stakes talks with Iranian leaders aimed at turning a two-week ceasefire into a permanent peace deal.
Prominent MAGA figures have been deeply critical of the Iran war, putting Vance – a leading figure among the anti-interventionist right who reportedly opposed launching the war – in a tricky position over the last six weeks.
When marathon peace negotiations did not produce a deal, Democrats pounced on the 2028 hopeful.
“JD Vance proves he’s a lightweight twice in 48 hours,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential Vance 2028 rival, wrote on social media.
Former top GOP strategist turned prominent Trump critic Mike Murphy wrote on social media, “JD Vance can now claim to be the political kiss of death in ten time zones and two continents!”
Vance ally Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley told USA TODAY he didn’t want to “grade” how well Vance did in Islamabad. But he said the vice president is “a consummate team player.”
VP shrugs off setbacks
Vance shrugged off Orbán’s defeat on “Special Report with Bret Baier” on Fox News. He said in the April 13 interview that he wanted to back an important ally, regardless of whether victory was likely.
“We didn’t go because we expected Victor to cruise to an election victory,” Vance said. “We went because it was the right thing to do to stand behind a person who had stood by us for a very long time.”
The vice president also said in Georgia that he remains optimistic about an agreement with Iran. Trump backed up Vance on April 13, saying he’d “done a good job” in the discussions. It was not immediately clear if he planned to tap the vice president to lead a proposed second round of talks.
Amid simmering frustration among many young conservatives about Iran, Vance encouraged them not to disengage.
“If you get five things you want, and one thing you don’t want, I see way too many people, especially in sort of the online conservative Twittersphere, who say, ‘Ah, you know, there’s no point,'” Vance said April 14. “The answer to frustration is engagement. Don’t give up on this process. Get more involved in this process and demand more from people like me. That’s how we take our country back.”
Vance and Trump are both appearing at Turning Point USA events this week, as they seek to fire up a core group of voters who helped them win the last presidential election. The group’s charismatic founder and close Vance friend, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot while speaking on a college campus last September.
Amid Vance’s own difficulties are growing signs Republicans will face strong political headwinds in November. Democrats have been on a roll, winning and overperforming in a series of races in 2025 and 2026 as the cost of living remains a concern for many voters. The Iran war could add to the GOP’s difficult midterm equation.
Sen. Jon Husted, another Vance friend who replaced the Ohioan in the upper chamber, told USA TODAY the vice president is “playing an important role” that’s consistent with his worldview and values.
“You can’t learn to be tough without doing tough things,” Husted said, “and I think he’s perfect for tough assignments.”
Contributing: Zach Schermele, Kenny Ford