Vance was ‘skeptical’ voice in White House on Iran strikes
White House officials revealed that the vice president made his opposition known in the leadup.Vice President JD Vance was skeptical of the U.S. striking Iran in the leadup to President Donald Trump’s decision to launch the war, two senior Trump officials told POLITICO.
Vance, who has long questioned U.S. intervention abroad, has publicly defended Trump’s Iran operation. But White House officials revealed that the vice president made his opposition known in the leadup, pulling the curtain open after months of speculation about Vance being far more tepid about military action than Trump.
Vance is “skeptical,” is “worried about success” and “just opposes” the war on Iran, a senior Trump official said via text message. The official was granted anonymity to speak about the vice president’s views.
A second senior Trump official said “his role is to provide the president and the administration, you know, all points of views of what could happen from many different angles and, you know, he does that. But once the decision has been made, he’s fully on board.”
Vance’s well-documented skepticism of U.S. military engagement, forged in his experiences serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq, paired with his more subdued tone on the successes of the operation, have fueled speculation of a schism between the president and his vice president.
