Mr. Vance has faced setbacks in establishing himself as a future party leader, failing on two recent foreign policy challenges.
Vice President J.D. Vance faces political setbacks overseas
Vice President J.D. Vance is facing political setbacks overseas as he seeks to establish himself as a future Republican leader.
WASHINGTON – During a stop on a college campus, Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledged that young conservatives who handed over the presidency to Donald Trump are dissatisfied with the administration over the Iran war and need to be encouraged to stay politically active in the run-up to the midterm elections.
Vance, who attended the Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia on April 14, said he recognized that “a lot of young voters don’t like the policies” surrounding the Middle East.
Still, Vance insisted his administration is taking steps to secure the border, 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 stop engaging just because you disagree with the administration on a certain topic.”
Vance’s comments are a nod to the administration’s political problems with the Iran war, which polls show is unpopular. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 59% of Americans disapprove of President Trump’s decision to attack Iran. Young voters, including young Republicans, are likely to be concerned.
The Pew poll found that less than half (49%) of young Republicans and Republican-leaning independents approve of President Trump’s handling of Iran.
The war has raised gasoline prices and raised broader economic concerns. And after President Donald Trump campaigned as a staunch critic of past U.S. wars in the Middle East, some who share his anti-interventionist “America First” pledge have accused his administration of being a traitor.
President Trump ordered Vance, a leading anti-intervention right-wing figure who is said to have expressed concern about starting a war, to negotiate an end to the conflict. However, peace talks in Pakistan’s Islamabad failed to produce an agreement.
President Trump tasked Vance with negotiating an end to the unpopular war.
Vance’s comments dovetail with polls showing the administration is struggling with young voters (in one poll, only half of young Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they supported President Trump’s approach to Iran) and a series of recent setbacks that have seen critics deride the vice president’s political touch.
For three days, Vance failed to finalize a deal to end the Iran war, failed to keep key European allies in power, and became embroiled in a feud with the Pope.
“What a week for the vice president! He took the unusual step of campaigning for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who lost in a landslide today and led the failed peace talks in Pakistan yesterday. This is not the time to buy Powerball tickets!” David Axelrod, former Barack Obama campaign manager, said of X.
Vance’s political acumen comes under scrutiny during Iran negotiations
Mr. Vance is generally considered one of the administration’s best messengers. However, as the party faces midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, his political skills are under scrutiny.
The vice president is helping lead the Republican midterm push amid a tough election cycle for the party, which sets up a 2028 presidential election in which Vance could be on the ballot. He is under pressure to help turn the tide in the Republican Party, but is facing difficulties in trying to establish himself as the future leader of the MAGA movement.
President Donald Trump has increasingly taken on a second and more difficult foreign policy mission, sending him to Jerusalem last fall to help enforce a tepid ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Most recently, the vice president flew to Budapest, Hungary, on April 6 to campaign for Mr. Orbán, a close ally of Mr. Trump whose conservative populism has influenced Mr. Trump’s political campaign.
It is unusual for a U.S. official to campaign for a foreign leader, and the move prompted criticism that the Trump administration was interfering in other countries’ elections.
Upon returning to the United States, Mr. 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, and Vance, a leading figure on the anti-intervention right, has been in a difficult position over the past six weeks.
When lengthy peace talks failed to result in an agreement, Democrats pounced on their 2028 hopefuls.
“J.D. Vance has proven himself to be a lightweight twice in 48 hours,” Vance’s 2028 rival candidate, California Governor Gavin Newsom, wrote on social media.
A day after Vance-led talks in Pakistan failed to result in an agreement, Hungary’s Mr Orbán lost his re-election campaign after more than a decade in power, despite Vice President Trump’s 11-hour campaign.
Mike Murphy, a top Republican strategist turned prominent Trump critic, wrote on social media, “J.D. Vance can now claim to be the political kiss of death in 10 time zones and two continents!”
VP ignores setbacks
Vance dismissed Orban’s defeat on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Bayer.” He said in an April 13 interview that he wanted to support a key ally regardless of whether there was a chance of victory or not.
“The reason we didn’t go was because we expected Mr. Victor to win the election,” Vance said. “We did it because it was the right thing to do, to stand behind someone who has supported us for so long.”
The vice president also said in Georgia that he remains optimistic about a deal with Iran. President Trump endorsed Vance on April 13, saying he “did a good job” in the debate. It was not immediately clear whether the vice president would be named to lead the proposed second round of talks.
Mr. Vance and Mr. Trump will appear at a Turning Point USA event this week as they seek to energize the core group of voters who helped them overcome political disadvantage in the last presidential election. Charlie Kirk, the group’s charismatic founder and a close friend of Vance, was shot and killed last September while speaking on a college campus.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, an ally of Mr. Vance, told USA TODAY that he did not want to “judge” Mr. Vance on how active he was in Islamabad. But he said the vice president is “a consummate team player.”
The jury is still out on whether Mr. Vance, a former Ohio senator, can unite Mr. Trump’s political coalition or reach a lasting peace deal with Iran.
There are increasing signs that Republicans will face strong political headwinds in November against the backdrop of Mr. Vance’s own difficulties. A Pew Research Center poll released in March found that only 37% of Americans approve of President Trump’s handling of Iran. Gasoline prices are also rising, with global economists warning of far-reaching effects.
Sen. Jon Husted, another friend of Vance’s who represents the Ohio senator, told USA TODAY that the vice president “plays an important role” that is consistent with his worldview and values.
Husted said, “You don’t learn to be tough unless you do tough things, and I think he’s perfect for the tough assignment.”
Contributors: Zach Schermele, Kenny Ford
