JD Vance’s statements in recent months have fueled skepticism over whether he would maintain the traditionally strong U.S. support for Israel if he runs for president in 2028.
VENETIAN, LAS VEGAS: Vice President JD Vance, after campaigning in Michigan, addressed growing concerns about his pro-Israel credentials as some Jewish Republicans expressed unease about the expected GOP frontrunner in the 2028 presidential race.
Doubts about Vance’s support for Israel stem in part from his recent friction with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over diplomacy with Iran.
In a highly publicized interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, Vance openly accused members of the Israeli government of running a paid foreign-influence social media campaign aimed at shaping U.S. public opinion against a deal to prolong the war.
Vance confronts GOP skeptics ahead of 2028
Several of JD Vance’s statements in recent months have sparked questions about whether he would remain as strongly supportive of Israel as previous U.S. administrations if he runs for president in 2028.
Some Jewish Republicans have expressed a preference for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while others have raised concerns about Vance. Senator Ted Cruz said on NBC News that the Republican Party has not yet chosen its 2028 presidential nominee or fully coalesced around Vice President JD Vance.
Hours after campaigning against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, Vance addressed concerns about his views on Jews and Israel during an event with the Republican Jewish Coalition, a group of influential political activists and donors.
When Vance spoke with RJC members at the Venetian in Las Vegas, reporters were kept out of the room. However, CNN reported that it obtained audio of Vance’s remarks from a person who attended the roughly 45-minute “fireside chat” with Norm Coleman.
Coleman, a former Minnesota senator, is the national chairman of the RJC board.
At one point, Vance addressed “some of the obvious elephants in the room,” referring to growing skepticism among young people about the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Vance said Republicans need to “actually get out there and talk about the ways in which it is in the best interest of the United States of America.”
RJC chairman asks why Vance appeared on controversial media platforms
According to the report, Vance did not take questions from the audience, but the moderated conversation touched on the sensitive subject of his media appearances.
Coleman asked Vance how he decides which media platforms or personalities to appear with.
Coleman specifically mentioned Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Joe Rogan and Nick Fuentes, saying the figures have provided platforms to people accused of promoting antisemitic views.
Carlson was mentioned because he has argued that the U.S. should no longer treat Israel as an ally.
Vance responded that he understood people in the room might disagree with things Carlson, Kelly or Rogan have said. He distinguished Rogan from Fuentes, saying they are “very, very different” people.
“I recognize a lot of people in this room might disagree with things that Tucker Carlson or Megyn Kelly or Joe Rogan has said,” Vance said.
Fuentes, who identifies as a white nationalist and Holocaust denier, was hosted by President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in 2022.
Vance otherwise defended his engagement with the media personalities, saying Republicans need “to be willing to go everywhere and bring our message anywhere and to any person.”