WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance rebuffed a reporter’s question Monday about his views on President Trump’s foreign military interventions — saying the journalist was “trying to drive a wedge” between himself and Trump on the Iran war.
“You’re trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the president,” Vance told RealClearPolitics reporter Philip Wegmann during an Oval Office event where the VP was put in charge of a new fraud task force.
“What the president said consistently, going back to 2015 — and I agreed with him — is that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.”
When Wegmann pressed Vance on his prior positions, the VP, who reportedly voiced skepticism ahead of the Iran conflict, said his support for the ongoing war stems from his trust in Trump.
“Well, I think one big difference, Phil, is that we have a smart president, whereas in the past, we’ve had dumb presidents,” Vance said.
“And I trust President Trump can 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.”
Trump, who like Vance ran for office condemning his predecessors’ Mideast interventions, added, “I don’t want wars. I want wars less than almost anybody — peace through strength.”
“But you know what?” the president said. “I’ve watched Iran for a long time…. They’re violent, vicious people, the leadership.”
“Do you think they should have a nuclear weapon, which is massive power? I don’t even want to discuss how powerful, because it’s depressing,” Trump said.
Trump said that “naive people” weren’t concerned about Iran’s nuclear program, which is the most-stated reason for the airstrikes that began on Feb. 28.
“If you believe that Iran should have a nuclear weapon, there’s something wrong with you, because they would use it,” he went on. “The only question is, within one hour, if they get it, or one day?”
And he had strong words for anyone criticizing his actions.
“They’re either evil or they’re stupid. So if you believe that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon — they should not have it — then you have to absolutely love what I’ve done,” Trump added.
