Vance believes Trump has “legal authority to deploy the National Guard to combat crime,” but the administration wants to work with local leaders.
JD Vance says the DC National Guard will not be deployed forever
JD Vance reports that the presence of USA Today National Guard in the city is not indefinite.
WASHINGTON – Vice President J.D. Vice President Vance says he likes the way Trump renovated the White House, but he doesn’t measure the drapes in his oval office.
At least not yet.
The expected 2028 presidential candidate says he and his wife Usha are focusing on the work he has now. “And if that door opens later, I’ll understand that.”
In an exclusive interview with USA Today, he recalled that he first stepped into an oval office in January.
“It was amazing. I was overwhelmed by the grandeur of the office, all the incredible history that was made,” Vance said. “But if I were honest, it was the middle winter, the drapes were closed. It was very dark. It had a bit of a dark and gloomy feeling. This is the workplace of the leaders of the free world. It should be a bit brighter. I like what the president did.”
Vance sat at USA Today on August 27th as the Trump administration discussed his whirlwind laws beyond the seven-month mark. Trump’s terminology features an active display of executive power and a moment of jaw dropping, sometimes with Vance in the center.
Check out our exclusive USA Today interview with JD Vance.
JD Vance for 200 days of “Practical Training”
JD Vance will sit down for an exclusive interview with White House correspondent Francesca Chambers to discuss his first 200 days as vice president.
He said his oval office exploded with Ukrainian President Voldymi Zelenkie, “ignoring” some issues for Americans, but that’s not that he wanted to go to the meeting.
Vance defended Trump’s push to fire Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, denied that the president had a list of enemies, and said the administration didn’t want to send security guards to the city “indefinitely.”
He also commented on Trump’s “characteristic style” to adorn the White House as one of the stars is working with Taylor Swift, and warned the NFL not to support the Kansas City chief.
Vance, 41, one of the youngest vice presidents in American history, said he is preparing to envision the country’s best office, even if his current role promotes Trump’s “incredibly good health,” and hopes the president will endure.
“God forbids us to have terrible tragedy. I can’t think of training to perform better than what I’ve got over the last 200 days,” Vance said in an interview in Eisenhower’s Executive Office Building.
Earlier this month, Trump said Vance is the most likely heir to his Magazine movement, but Vance continued to dispel speculation about his 2028 plan.
This is an important takeaway from Vance’s interview.
Guards will not be deployed “indefinitely”
Trump’s use of the National Guard in Washington, DC and Los Angeles has led to some Democrats calling him an authoritarian. Vance further predicts that the development could lead to similar criticism, implying that the administration is hearing different reactions in private.
“These people, the mayor, or the local governor, stood up and said, “We don’t want the National Guard. This is a dictatorship. Trump is a fascist.” Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,” Vance said.
“When I stand up before the press conference and don’t want to accuse the President of being a fascist and I’m truly grateful for bringing civil law and order back to these communities, I’m accusing the National Guard of being part of an authoritarian coup,” he added.
Mayor DC Muriel Bowser has shown he will work with federal authorities, calling Trump’s actions in the city “unsteady and unprecedented.”
Trump threatened to send security guards to Chicago and other cities, prompting a strong push from Democratic leaders. The president has broad authority over DC, but federal law limits the ability to unilaterally deploy security guards to other regions.
Vance believes Trump has “legal authority to deploy National Guard to combat crime” in other cities, but the administration said he wants to work with local leaders.
“What the president said is, if these local mayors and local governors want help, he’s willing to offer it,” Vance said. “I think he can provide it without their requests, but basically, the president wants to work with these areas, what he said.”
The Vice President also said there is a time limit for the deployment of security guards.
“We don’t want to have citizen security guards indefinitely on the streets of our cities,” he said. “We just want these cities to be safer.”
Jeffrey Epstein case file
The Vice President fought that calling for security guards was an effort to distract him from the rage surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s handling of case files.
“You don’t need to do any of these things, so I don’t think it’s a distraction, especially when you think the president has ordered the administration to be more transparent about this than the other issues,” Vance said.
The administration, which refused to publish certain documents related to Epstein, is a wealthy convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019, which generated fierce criticism from Trump’s MAGA base while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The Justice Department released a July 7 memo saying “full disclosures are not appropriate or guaranteed,” but is now taking over the records under Congressional subpoena. DOJ also stated in a systematic review of the file that “the ‘client list’ is not guilty.”
On a podcast last October, weeks before the presidential election, Vance said, “We need to release the Epstein list, that’s important.”
In an interview with USA Today, Vance said, “Even some of our own supporters who criticized the president’s response certainly recognize that there are people.”
But he said, “If you look at this in full and give it the right time, what you’re trying to find is that the administration is much more open and transparent about this.”
There is no list of Trump enemies
Vice President Vance denies Trump’s enemy list in an exclusive interview
Vice President JD Vance said in an exclusive interview that President Donald Trump focuses on law enforcement rather than political retaliation.
Trump’s trend of pushing the limits of presidential power has recently targeted the Federal Reserve, which is trying to eliminate Gov. Lisa Cook.
Vance has problems with those who say the president lacks legal authority to remove members of the Independence Committee.
“Is it a bit ridiculous to say, of course, that the President of the United States – the President of the United States, does not have the ability to make these decisions, of course?” Vance said. “We don’t think we are allowing bureaucrats to sit from high and make decisions about financial policies and interest rates without the opinions of those elected to serve the American people.”
Cook is the latest in a long list of Trump opponents who have been targeted in some way or investigated in some way by the administration.
Last week, the home of John Bolton, a well-known Trump critic and former national security adviser, was searched by the FBI. This week, Trump wrote on social media that prominent liberal donor George Soros should face criminal charges in a post that warned Soros’ friends.
Vance said “facts and laws” were driving those decisions. When asked if Trump had a list of enemies, he said “no at all.”
Zelenskyy blows up what Vance wanted “not necessarily”
Vance gives superiority to the Vice President, giving fierce speeches denounced European leaders, and intertwines with Zelensky in his oval office.
The vice president told Zelensky in the battle in February that he should be grateful for Trump for being “disrespectful” and helping his country protect against Russia.
Vance’s argument with Zelensky that Trump was in has bounced back all over the world.
In an interview with USA Today, Vance expressed a measure of regret about how it unfolded. “Do you want it to explode in an oval office in public? Not necessarily,” Vance said.
But he said he believes it served his purpose.
“Do you think it really unravels some of the real issues of differences between the US and Ukrainian sides? Yes, and I think it’s not helpful for Americans to see.
JD Vance reflects an oval office conflict with Zelenskyy
Vice President JD Vance says the intense exchange of oval offices with the Ukrainian president revealed tensions in the major US ukraine.
Vance added that despite some differences, the administration is “very aligned” with Zelensky on its goal of securing peace.
“Of course, we want to protect the integrity of Ukraine’s territory,” he said. “We do not want Russia to conquer the entire country.”
As part of the deal to end the war, Trump pushed the idea of a “land exchange” in which Ukraine would give up on Russian occupying territory.
“I’m Romantic”: Warm Wish for Taylor Swift, Warning for the NFL
VP Vance celebrates Swift and Kelce and worries about the NFL Chiefs bias
In an exclusive interview, Vice President JD Vance congratulated Taylor Swift and Travis Kelse on the engagement, urging the NFL to remain neutral.
Among Trump’s targets for past criticism was Taylor Swift, who recognized Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. But after Trump congratulated the pop star on his engagement to Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelse, Vance was also very hoping for the pair.
“I’m romantic,” Vance said in an interview. “When I see two married people getting married, I wish them the best and I hope they have a very long, healthy and happy life.”
However, Cincinnati Bengals fans said they didn’t want to see “the Super Bowl wedding this season.”
Contributors: Kathryn Palmer, Bailey Schultz, Michael Collins
