By Brian Romick, President and CEO of Democratic Majority for Israel
Vice President JD Vance, December 21, 2025
Throughout his career — from author and venture capitalist to U.S. senator and now vice president — JD Vance has often talked about Israel, the U.S.-Israeli relationship, and antisemitism. The problem? His support for Israel is conditional, not steadfast and, at times, he’s failed to condemn antisemitism when there was a clear opportunity to do so.
The vice president’s comments on Israel suggest a partner who will distance himself from the Jewish state when it suits him, making him an uncertain ally in one of America’s most important strategic relationships.
These shifts in policy are not merely rhetorical. And since the Trump-Vance White House sets the agenda and messaging for the entire Republican Party, we should interpret these comments as a broader shift that prioritizes Vance’s self interest and Trump’s political expediency.
Looking ahead to the presidential election in 2028, we examined the vice president’s record. What we found raises serious concerns about his reliability, his judgment, and the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship should he run for and win the top job.
Untrustworthy Negotiator
Most recently, President Trump assigned Vice President Vance to lead the 60-day negotiations around a new Iran deal. But can he be trusted to fairly and competently secure a final agreement that advances U.S. national security interests, supports Israel, and creates greater stability in the region? The evidence says no. Take a look at some of his recent quotes:
June 21, 2026: On the Israel-Hezbollah conflict: “The big problem is that somebody will shoot and then somebody will respond, and you kind of have a chicken and egg problem where you’ve just got to stop the shooting for long enough to get the ceasefire to keep hold.”
June 18, 2026: “[Israel is] a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have.”
June 18, 2026: “Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world…Anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that that country is in.”
These comments show a fundamental misunderstanding of Israel’s history and security situation. Israel regularly faces coordinated attacks from its neighbors in the region who are singularly focused on the destruction of the Jewish state. But to Vance, allyship can only happen if one side shows endless gratitude to the United States.
To make matters worse, throughout the negotiations, Vance is reportedly talking with Trita Parsi, co-founder of the Quincy Institute. This anti-interventionist think tank, funded by Republican megadonor Charles Koch, labels itself as “transpartisan.” Should the vice president look to Parsi as a trusted advisor? A former senior U.S. intelligence official told Tablet magazine that “when you speak with Trita Parsi you are in essence hearing the voice of Javad Zarif,” referring to Iran’s former foreign minister.
And earlier this year, in a statement marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Vance failed to mention either Jews or Nazis, fueling concerns that he is hesitant to call out antisemites in the conservative coalition.
These Comments Are Nothing New
Vice President Vance’s concerning rhetoric extends far beyond what he’s said the past month:
Last year, he declined to condemn and downplayed racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic comments made in a Young Republicans group chat, almost all of whom were confirmed to be between the ages of 24-35: “They tell edgy, offensive jokes. That’s what kids do. And I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke — telling a very offensive, stupid joke — is cause to ruin their lives.” Vance also dismissed claims that there has been a rise in antisemitism within the Republican Party, saying that “the single most significant thing you could do to eliminate antisemitism” is lowering immigration to the United States. In an interview with NBC News, he also said he did not see “some simmering antisemitism that’s exploding” among young conservatives.
Answering questions from college students at the University of Mississippi in 2025, Vance fielded a flurry of antisemitic questions. He had the chance to condemn the antisemitism on display and chose not to. Instead, he played into dangerous Israel conspiracy theories. “So when people say that Israel is somehow manipulating or controlling the president of the United States, they’re not manipulating or controlling this president of the United States,” he said.
As a U.S. senator, Vance failed to co-sponsor the Countering Antisemitism Act, bipartisan legislation that would have appointed a new presidential adviser dedicated to combatting antisemitism.
During a March 2022 Ohio GOP Senate debate, Vance said Marjorie Taylor Greene was his “friend” and “did nothing wrong” by appearing at a white nationalist conference organized by Nick Fuentes, adding that “he agreed with nearly every word” of her remarks and would not “throw her under the bus.”
Following the horrific “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, Vance described the “neo-Nazi movement” as one led by “well-to-do, middle class folks, people who have a good education.”
And it’s hard to forget Vance’s resurfaced texts from 2016 wondering if President Trump was “America’s Hitler.”
Why This Matters Now
Following the announcement of the U.S.-Iran MOU that Vance negotiated, there are still urgent nuclear and regional security concerns, congressional oversight considerations, and financial issues that will ultimately determine whether a final agreement advances U.S. national security interests and regional stability. As the lead negotiator for the U.S. with Iran, the vice president cannot be lashing out at Israeli critics of the Iran deal he is trying to promote.
The current MOU falls short of making any real progress: it does not end Iran’s nuclear program, gives Iran access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund, and provides immediate sanctions relief for the IRGC and its terrorist proxies.
Any final deal negotiated by the vice president and this administration must permanently shut down Iran’s nuclear capabilities, put constraints on its ballistic missile and drone capabilities, and end its support to regional terrorist proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
We must also preserve Israel’s right to defend itself from Hezbollah’s attacks and ensure real oversight from Congress.
This is why the vice president’s judgment matters. His record shows a willingness to publicly scold Israel, excuse or minimize antisemitism when it comes from political allies, and treat support for the Jewish state as conditional rather than enduring. Those instincts are alarming — especially for the person charged with negotiating a final agreement with Iran.
Sure, he’s as much of a putz as Chris Van Hollen and less than Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. The Democratic Party elected people who openly celebrated October 7 massacres, and who can’t call firebomb attacks on American Jews antisemitic. The rule should be that you don’t donate or vote for Anzis, and by that simple rule most of the Democrats should be dead to us. I’ll vote Rubio.
Yes JD is extremely problematic to say the least. Now do every democrat who said they won’t take money from AIPAC, who sides with Hamas who says Gaza was a genocide by Israel and who wants to end arms sales especially iron dome to Israel. Then find which of the dems support BDS and is responsible for massive rise in antisemitism in the country. When all you do is go after republicans you sound ridiculous.