All posts tagged "jd vance"

'Biggest leaker' in the Trump White House singled out by ex-CNN anchor

A high-profile ex-CNN anchor singled out the insider said to be the "biggest leaker" in the Trump White House.

Don Lemon said during an interview with Legal AF host Michael Popok that Vice President "J.D. Vance is like the biggest leaker of them all" in the White House based on what "many people have said and according to some of the reporting."

Lemon and Popok were talking about Trump's efforts to hunt down the insider who leaked details of a "freakout" in the Situation Room over the Epstein files. The freakout is detailed in the forthcoming book Regime Change by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

"Donald Trump could very well be one of the people who leaked to" Haberman, Lemon admitted, adding that it's possible Trump "doesn't even realize it."

However, he and Popok made the case for suspecting Vance is at least "the biggest source for people," as Lemon put it.

"He looks good in the story, relatively," Popok said, referring to the NY Times reporting on the Epstein freakout in the Situation Room. "Among the liars in the room, he looks like he's the one that says, 'let's get the story out about Donald Trump'...I'm like, among those people in the room, that was like the best thing to say."

Lemon pointed to reporting on the Iran war that also seemed to favor Vance.

"Remember, the reporting was that J.D. Vance was the only one in the room who was against it," Lemon explained. "It's like, well, how does J.D. Vance always come out looking better than anyone?"

Trump Chickens Out and Won’t Go After NYT Reporters for Epstein & Iran Leaks?! by Legal AF

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JD Vance not traveling to Switzerland for Iran talks: report

Vice President JD Vance will have to stay home instead of traveling to Switzerland to finalize the memorandum of understanding the Trump administration struck with the Iranian regime last weekend, according to a White House spokesperson.

On Sunday, Trump announced his administration had struck a deal with the regime that would immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide a pathway to ending the conflict. The final agreement was initially scheduled to be signed on Friday in Switzerland.

CNN journalist Kristen Holmes reported on Thursday that a White House spokesperson told her, "The Vice President is not departing tonight." The spokesperson added that "as the Vice President said at his press conference, the plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized," referring to the deal to end the Iran war.

"The U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity," the White House spokesperson told Holmes. "But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable."

JD Vance's defense of Trump's tone toward voters immediately blows up in his face

Vice President JD Vance tried defending President Donald Trump's tone by describing it as in line with the working class, and it backfired.

The New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat asked Vance about the tone of Trump and the administration, saying that it "is not consistently a Christian tone. There is a tone of aggressive uncharity."

Vance responded that "tonal arguments are ways of, frankly, policing working-class ways of communication and covering them in elite preferences."

However, online commentators expressed offense at hearing Vance equate the Trump administration's tone with the way the working class speaks.

Tim Miller, the host of The Bulwark podcast, summarized Vance's defense as "Working class people are all a— who don't care about their neighbor's feelings" in a post on X.

"It seems like he thinks that regular people are all sociopaths like him," Miller wrote. "Classic"

MS NOW host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough said, "How insulting to suggest that hateful rhetoric that runs counter to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is just the way working class people talk—and that elites don’t get that."

"What an absurd response," Reason reporter Billy Binion sounded off. "Donald Trump is not 'working class.' And this is very condescending toward people who actually *are* working class because it implies they're all mean and uncharitable by default. Is that all the respect JD Vance has for working people?"

Journalist Jane Coaston, the host of What A Day, agreed, "I really think some people think that working class Americans are the worst human beings to ever live."

Christian broadcaster Erick Erickson simply said, "Bad answer."

'Dumbest man in the Senate': Tommy Tuberville mocked after Trump remarks on Fox Business

A GOP senator is being torched online after he tried to reassure people that the Trump administration knows what it's doing.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) was asked during an appearance on Fox Business how he feels about Trump's embattled deal to end the Iran war.

"I trust President Trump. I trust Vice President Vance," Tuberville said. "We don't need to listen to anybody up here on Capitol Hill. Let's trust these two."

The online reactions to him turning on his Capitol Hill colleagues in favor of the White House were fierce, however.

"America's worst senator, showing exactly why he's unfit for the office he holds," wrote Gregg Nunziata, a prominent right-wing lawyer and former Senate GOP counsel.

"Dumbest man in the Senate offers glowing endorsement," summed up John Podhoretz, the editor of the conservative Commentary Magazine.

"Congress is the only branch of government where members regularly say their job is to do nothing, just sit around like a potted plant," snarked Jeet Heer, a writer for The Nation.

"Idiot," wrote national opinion columnist Sophia A. Nelson. "Go back to Alabama."

"Why even have a Senate, Tuberhead?" asked Rex Bossert, the former editor in chief of the National Law Journal.

Trump souring on key ally might be Vance's ticket to 2028 and could reshape MAGA: analyst

President Donald Trump's shifting relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be a boon for Vice President JD Vance's 2028 presidential ambitions, an analyst reported on Wednesday.

Jonathan V. Last, editor of The Bulwark, explained that a split between America and Israel could redefine the MAGA coalition. Although Vance is in a tough position with pro-war Republicans furious over the surrender and blaming the vice president — instead of Trump — he could also win over America First isolationists who have been skeptical of the relationship with Israel.

"Playing the part of Trump’s surrender monkey queers Vance with both wings of MAGA," Last wrote.

But there could be more to it for the vice president, who was skeptical of the war to begin with.

"The best thing that could happen for Vance would be Trump souring on Israel," Last wrote.

"Israel will be one of the big cleavages in the post-Trump GOP," Last wrote. "The rising, young segment of the base is . . . skeptical of America’s relationship with Israel. But the establishment wing of MAGA remains pro-Israel. So long as Trump was wedded to Israel and Bibi Netanyahu, Vance was going to have to tread lightly. He’d have to signal enough of his Israel skepticism to keep the Tucker-wing of MAGA guessing while staying publicly aligned with Trump."

If that changes, and Trump does turn on Israel, it could reveal a different future MAGA.

"Netanyahu has tried to undermine the deal. He is likely to fail because Trump needs to end the war, period. Which leaves Netanyahu with a choice," Last wrote.

The Israeli prime minister could examine two potential options: pretend Trump's deal is a good one and try to convince the Israeli public it is, or condemn the deal and break away from Trump.

Trump has criticized Netanyahu, calling him "crazy," and as the president's popularity has dropped in Israel, it could reveal that Israelis have soured on Trump — and Republicans might not have realized this as fast as Israelis have, Last explained.

"Vance has neither of those advantages and on top of that, he’s a bad politician," Last wrote. "He’s good at managing up, not pandering down. My guess is that Vance has taken stock of the situation and realized that he may be over a barrel now, but there is a path for him. If he leans into Iran, takes ownership of Trump’s surrender, then he can take advantage of any Trump-Israel schism and exit this war in a reasonably strong position with the Republican base."

Sending JD Vance to rebut inflation remarks is Trump's 'worst possible strategy': expert

Sending Vice President JD Vance to defend Trump's baffling remarks on inflation was the "worst possible strategy," a political expert said on Tuesday.

Paul Rieckhoff mocked the very idea while speaking on a CNN panel on "Erin Burnett OutFront." However, during Vance's appearance on "The View," he found himself defending Trump's "I love the inflation" comments and laughing off pushback.

"JD Vance is extremely unpopular," Rieckhoff said. "So sending out JD Vance to try to move people is pretty much the worst possible strategy."

Rieckhoff added that the "real bellwether" for how voters feel about inflation will be the general election in November, when Republicans "have to talk about inflation, they have to talk about the economy."

In particular, Independents are "not buying a lot of what Trump's pushing right now," Rieckhoff said, adding that they make up 47 percent of the country's voters.

MAGA loyalists livid over JD Vance's interview with Megyn Kelly

MAGA loyalists were livid after Vice President JD Vance appeared on Megyn Kelly's show on Tuesday.

The vice president was on a media blitz promoting his new book "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith" when he made a stop to sit down with the conservative host, who has become more critical of President Donald Trump in recent months. During the interview, Kelly pressed Vance, asking why the memorandum to end the war between the United States and Iran has not been publicly released.

"There are some delicate diplomatic things going on," Vance said, explaining that there were more talks happening between Arab and Gulf nations about the agreement with Iran.

"I don’t frankly fully understand it," Vance said.

Vance also referred to the $70 billion war and its repercussions as a "little blip of increased energy costs."

MAGA followers were outraged over the appearance and let it be known.

"Megyn Kelly was never part of the coalition that got President Trump elected in 2016 or 2024. She notoriously blew up her career at Fox News over her TDS. In what world did she do anything to help Trump get elected? Any claim that she is part of MAGA is simply not true. Those of us who have been around since day 1, slaving away for Trump know who has been here since day 1, and who hasn’t. People like me have to work extra hard on a daily basis to help preserve MAGA because of bad actors like Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson. And it’s getting exhausting to be honest," right-wing influencer Laura Loomer wrote on X.

"Also, GOP mega donors spent over $20 million to kick the most prominent Republican who pushed back out of office. And Vance supported that publicly. Sorry, the big tent from 2024 is long gone," Holden Culotta, who self-describes as a "Gen Z Independent, conspiracy theorist" with more than 152,000 followers, wrote on X.

"Why is Vance talking to this traitor? After all the garbage that came out of Megyn Kelly recently about the President, Vance is on her show?! President Trump must rid himself of his second Mike Pence at once," user Marshall Zen, who frequently shares pro-MAGA content and messages, wrote on X.

Vance calls Trump's $70B war in Iran a "little blip of increased energy costs" pic.twitter.com/dPTgetAPim
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) June 16, 2026

JD Vance just dismantled his 2028 prospects with 'The View' interview: analyst

Vice President JD Vance was under fire on Tuesday after entering the lion's den on "The View" — prompting a response from an analyst who referred to his leadership as overblown.

Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, told CNN's Kasie Hunt that although Vance could have political ambitions for 2028, he might end up in the running for president in a crowded race.

"Points for trying," Goldberg said. "I personally think, and I'm a little annoyed that the conventional wisdom is catching up with me, that JD Vance has been the most overrated major politician of the last few years. He underperformed every other Republican when he ran for Senate. He had to get establishment Republicans like Mitch McConnell to help him out, to get him over the finish line. This idea that he is going to inherit Trump's mantle is nonsense. There's not going to be a single mantle. There's going to be a bunch of people running as different kinds of MAGA or MAGA-adjacent people, and probably even some normie Republicans."

"And I just don't think he's that compelling a character," he added. "And he accumulates statements."

Goldberg referenced Vance's statement that "if you have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War, you just have more say in our politics than someone who just got here."

"And I always was fascinated by the quote because he didn't say which side you had to fight in the Civil War," he said. "And he dabbles with stuff. His footsies big tent for the Neo-Nazis and Nick Fuentes crowd. I think it's based on a really bad political theory. And I just don't think he has got the talent or the path that a lot of people in Washington seem to think he does."

GOP senators ready to pounce on Trump's Iran deal fall guy: analyst

Republican Senators sense an opportunity and are ready to attack Trump's Iran deal fall guy, a political analyst wrote.

Vice President JD Vance is stuck with explaining the Iran deal, and the GOP has no problem going after him, Joe Perticone wrote for The Bulwark.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pointed his finger at Vance and called him the "architect of the deal" with Iran in a recent post. The deal left Graham "concerned" and said it's "imperative" that Vance be a part of a review, the senator wrote.

The deal reportedly includes a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, reportedly financed by the Gulf Cooperation Council, but the Memorandum of Understanding laying out the conditions is still under wraps.

Republican senators are either propping Vance up "as integral to the process" of the deal or "claiming they haven't seen him address," Perticone wrote.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told a reporter that "somebody will need to" explain the deal, "whether it's the vice president—but for sure, our members are going to have a lot of questions about it," Perticone noted.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) likewise held Vance responsible for the deal, saying, "It sounds to me like for two months he's played a significant role," according to Perticone.

Other senators made their doubts about the Iran deal clear. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) said, "I think they've got an MOU right now versus a treaty," according to Perticone.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) told Perticone, "We'll have to see exactly what this is, but you would think it'd have to be ratified."

'Hypocrite': JD Vance gets more than he bargained for in testy appearance on ‘The View’

The internet erupted on Tuesday after "The View" co-hosts put Vice President JD Vance in the hot seat and dropped tough questions.

Vance was pressed about the Trump administration's policies by Whoopi Goldberg and called out by Joy Behar over his responses while he tried to promote his new book: "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith."

Media and political experts on social media reacted to Vance's interaction with the daytime talk show hosts.

"Imagine if reporters asked questions as hard as the hosts of The View," Emmy-nominated writer and comedian Mike Drucker wrote on X.

"The makeup artist not filling in his eyebrows is masterful work," Nikki McCann Ramírez, politics reporter at Rolling Stone, wrote on X.

"He doesn't respect women, so he went in thinking he would be able to manipulate them and boy was he wrong," progressive political commentator Sarah Ironside wrote on X.

"How do you know this administration is racist? Every single time someone ask them about the quality of life for Black Americans they bring up CRIME STATISTICS (or WAREHOUSE JOBS) as a MEASURE of BLACK SUCCESS in the United States. That's all we are to them," Swipa, analyst for Mile High Sports and social media commentator, wrote on X.

"He danced around answering the question because Vance knows there is no way to defend it. SMH," writer and editor Keith Murphy wrote on X.

" JD Vance has criticized The View for years claiming it’s an out of touch liberal media show with political hacks. But that doesn’t stop him from crawling up on their stage to beg The View’s audience to buy his book," Canadian liberal political commentator Marlene Robertson wrote on X.

".@JDVance complains endlessly about The View... until it comes time to make money for his book. Hypocrite," anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project wrote on X.

"Really disturbing how comfortable he is fabricating information out of thin air," Julian Andreone, Washington reporter for Drop Site News, wrote on X.

Really disturbing how comfortable he is fabricating information out of thin air https://t.co/D6HrWC9YFJ
— Julian Andreone (@JulianAndreone) June 16, 2026