President Donald Trump said Vice President JD Vance had “philosophically a little bit different” view on the war in Iran but said both agreed on launching US airstrikes alongside Israel.Speaking to reporters Monday at his golf club in Doral, Trump said Vance was “maybe less enthusiastic about going,” but defended the strikes as necessary.“I felt it was something we had to do,” Trump said. “I didn’t feel we had a choice.”The president also dismissed suggestions of tension between the two leaders.“We get along very well on this,” Trump said.The conflict has added to debate within the Republican Party as it approaches a challenging election year. Some Republicans have raised concerns about how the military action fits with the party’s “America First” movement, which has often emphasised reducing US involvement in foreign conflicts.
Vance has long been closely linked to that approach. A former Marine who moved from writing into politics before becoming a US senator and later vice president, he is widely viewed as a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028 and someone who could carry forward Trump’s political movement.Over the years, Vance has repeatedly supported Trump’s focus on prioritising domestic issues over overseas interventions. In a 2023 opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, as cited by AP, that has gained renewed attention since the strikes, he wrote that Trump has his support because “I know he won’t recklessly send Americans to fight overseas.”Just before the operation, Vance told The Washington Post there was “ no chance ” the United States would become involved in a prolonged war similar to the one in Iraq.Since the strikes began, the administration has offered differing signals about how long the conflict might last. Trump has said the war could continue “as long as necessary,” but on Monday he also described the operation as a “short-term excursion” as economic uncertainty grew.Despite any reservations suggested by Trump, Vance has publicly backed the president since the start of the operation. In an interview on Fox News with Jesse Watters, he rejected comparisons between the Iran operation and earlier US wars.“If you think back to Afghanistan, 20 years of mission creep, 20 years (of) not having a clear objective and 20 years (of) the United States trying to bring liberal democracy to Afghanistan,” Vance said. “Iraq was a little bit shorter, but we were still in that country for nearly a decade with no clear mission, no clear definition.”“What’s so different about this, Jesse,” Vance added, “is that the president has clearly defined what he wants to accomplish.”Trump’s stance toward Iran has been a central part of his foreign policy for years. During his first term, he withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear agreement negotiated under Barack Obama despite objections from European allies.He later ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, describing it as delivering “American justice,” while criticising Democratic leaders who questioned the decision to carry out the attack without first consulting Congress.
