Facing fierce backlash over his tone-deaf, self-serving postmortem of the GOP’s historic midterm wipeout, Vice President J.D. Vance posted a patriotic photo of himself and President Trump saluting at a White House event. The caption read, “Still delivering for the American people,” complete with an American flag emoji.
Like a guilty child hoping all would be forgiven if he simply acted as though nothing had happened, Vance seemed to think a patriotic post could erase the memory of his betrayal the day before. Instead, the display of loyalty had the effect of reopening the wound.
For those who missed it, Vance’s original post appears below. “The reason we lost is the war,” he wrote. “The president himself said so last night.” Yet Vance glossed over his own outsize role in prolonging the conflict through his persistent advocacy for a diplomatic solution. Six weeks into the war, Iran was on its knees. Had the onslaught continued, the regime might well have collapsed. Instead, a ceasefire gave it a reprieve. As many of us see it, Vance’s repeated, naive attempts at negotiation handed the terrorists a lifeline. The momentum U.S. and Israeli forces had established early on was lost and has never been recovered.
Trump, of course, bore ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the war. But that does not absolve Vance, whose advice weighed heavily on the president’s decisions.
Ari Fleischer, who served as White House press secretary under President George W. Bush, offered a blunt response to Vance’s post: “The problem was not the Iran War. It was the cease fire. … If you start a war, you need to win it and finish it – otherwise don’t start it.”
Vance also repeated a pollster’s theory that the administration’s close relationship with Israel may have contributed to the midterm carnage. He stopped short of explicitly calling for America to distance itself from Israel, but that was the unmistakable implication.
The post has received over 71 million views.
Rather than calming the storm, Vance’s latest post has only intensified it, drawing criticism from political analysts and media outlets as a pathetic attempt at “damage control.”
His original post was more than a betrayal; it raised serious doubts about his prospects for winning the GOP’s 2028 presidential nomination. For two years, Vance has remained the front-runner despite a deep Republican bench of stronger, better-qualified and more conservative potential contenders. His ill-advised essay may have cost him that advantage. At a minimum, it has created an opening for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and others.
On Thursday, rumors were swirling that Rubio planned to resign from his job to focus on his 2028 presidential campaign. He quickly dismissed those rumors.
The next presidential campaign begins the day after the midterms. Vance shot himself in the foot on Day One.
His second post was the political equivalent of trying to extinguish a bonfire with a water pistol. And social media users responded with the criticism and widespread mockery it deserved.
One joked that the administration had “delivered the big blue wave!!!!” to the American people.
Another replied, “YOU LOST BECAUSE YOU DID NOT, IN ANY WAY, DELIVER FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.”
An Iranian man wrote:
You have disappointed millions of Iranians! The war with the Islamic Republic isn’t just about Iran, it’s about protecting the U.S. and Europe, and safeguarding America from the expansion of terrorism. To the senators asking “What does this war have to do with us?”: The Mullahs’ regime is the engine of regional chaos and global terror. Ignoring it threatens us all.
While Vance and others would argue that regime change was never the administration’s goal, Trump promised the Iranian people that U.S. help was on the way. Leaving an IRGC-controlled government in power leaves the threat intact.
Trump has a historic opportunity to help bring an end to a murderous regime that has menaced the region and the world for nearly half a century — an achievement that could define his legacy. He has already paid an enormous political price for confronting it. There may never be a better chance to end its grip on Iran and its reign of terror beyond its borders.
Finish the job, Mr. President.
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