Vance’s Attempt at Damage Control Does More Damage
The next presidential campaign begins the day after the midterms. And Vance shot himself in the foot on Day One.
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.
Still delivering for the American people 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/h1eUIXCkz5
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) November 5, 2026
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.
One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 4, 2026
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.
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
I both agree and disagree. Trump lost his nerve and it wasnt Vance as much as our so-called Allies. They deserve the world they get when America is no longer around to defend their interests for free.
BS Vance was the one that convinced Trump not to finish the job and do”diplomacy “
Diplomacy with Muslim terroriistd
He’s the reason we didn’t finish the job
And then he stabbed Trump in the. Back
He’s finished
Sure. Entire other countries condemning our efforts and actions despite blatant proof of both terrorism and nuclear development had nothing to do with it.
These are the traitors to the entire world.
Since when has Trump given a flying rat’s ass what the terrorist supporters and Euroweasels think about anything? Do you think he magically started caring after the insults they’ve lobbed at him for the last decade?
Get real.
One key point of America First is that we put …America First. We ain’t the ‘world police’ anymore. If the rest of the Western Nations ain’t interested in stopping Iranian ambitions of potentially threatening Europe with missile attacks then …they can pay the consequences of their folly it ain’t our responsibility to ‘save’ them.
No but it is our responsibility to protected our interests and our citizens. Taking out Iran would do both.
Now THAT I can absolutely agree with. By all means curb stomp the Iranian regime for the near five decades of attacking US Citizens. Lets do it as often as we damn well feel like lobbing some.missiles and dropping some bombs for a continuous 24 to 96 hours.
But THAT is not the discussion point with gonzotx and myself, as you truthfully acknowledged.
Can you list what specific direct US interests (unique to the USA) were served by attacking Iran then demanding unconditional surrender then stopping the attacks
When the stated goal of ending/curtailing the Iranian nuke program and missile production were announced by the Trump Admin as ‘mission accomplished’ why didn’t we just kick some more sand into their face, tell them more was coming if they got frisky in the Straits of Hormuz? Then when the Iranian regime did inevitably get frisky start blowing up infrastructure targets every day until the Iranian regime stopped or we ran outta targets.
I was wounded by Iranian backed forces in Iraq. My entire team had a specific by name bounty put on our heads by the Iranians. Several friends were killed by Iranian backed and/or Iranian operatives while.deployed. Suffice to say I have a very personal ax to grind with the Iranian regime and nothing would please me more than to take the gloves off and actually curb stomp them …but we didn’t, we aren’t and we probably won’t. Not the way I’d argue needs to be done until no two bricks were touching in the entire Nation.
Iran has been threatening us for 49 years with destruction.
Now they are trying to make nuclear weapons, possibly to use against us.
How much more cause do we need to decide that Iran is a direct threat to us, the rest of the world be damned?
I’m all for curb stomping the Iranian Regime (and frankly the entire Iranian population if they don’t get out the way fast enough). That’s not what happened or what will happen in the foreseeable future.
See response to Sanddog above for more.
If he is the one responsible for the pullback on the war with Iran, he is likely responsible for MUCH of the electoral disaster on the Midterms.
He should not be the GOP’s nominee for president.
Rubio 2028
Rubio is not going to run
Unless there is a major change in the next year, he has made billions for people and
Businesses
He can write his own ticket
He doesn’t need the stress
The war has to be finished to stop Iran and it’s nuclear ambitions. I keep hearing this stated by Trump. The 47 years of terror needs to be stopped. We know the Democrats and most Republicans can’t handle the job. The Republican party couldn’t even pass the Save Act with a large share of Americans support for it. It is time to pull their heads out of the clouds or where ever and save America from Socialists and Islam.
Amen
Trump, FINNISH THE MULLAHS!!!
Oh look! We were wrong… the Dems are right, the Dem are right. We will be better… just like the Dems… promise! J.D. Pense-Tucker-Vance lost it all and should. He was part of negotiations with Iran and… and… Trump? 1) Never apologize to the Left… they don’t care and will use it forever…. be like them in this issue. The US under Biden was worse. The big issue is how this “victory” was all engineered by the Dems since 2024.. for now and the future. Read Applebalm’s (NO Trump fan) about how the Soviets took over Eastern Europe. Interesting parallels with Trump. The Shah and Iran… Islamo-Marxists (with Carter’s help) removed the Shah, then the Islamists got rid (RIP..not really) of the Marxists. Trump is the Nixonian fall guy to mask the real enemy of the US… The Former Democrat Party.
Oh, and anyone saying the US and Shah kicked out the “popularly elected” prime minister missed their history lessons.
“J.D. Pense-Tucker-Vance”
I was going to comment, but why should ? This says it all.
Yea, I was already hesitant to back Vance because of his refusal to condemn the utterly insane, antisemitic bile coming from his friend Tucker Carlson.
His attempt to throw Trump under the bus just sealed it for me. He won’t get my vote in a primary. Hegseth, Rubio or DeSantis. Any of the three would be preferable for me, in that order.
Heh, Vance is part of the damage he’s trying to control, but he doesn’t know that.
I think he knows how we feel now
Maybe he doesn’t care
Maybe he thinks he can win the independents and doesn’t need the MAGA
Mistake
Especially if Trump gives the nod to Rubio or DeSantis
But I don’t see Rubio running
He has better options business wise
This is vance’s “I told you so” moment. He advised trump in private against going big on Iran.
Now he risks become mike pence version 2.0. It didn’t work for pence, it won’t work for him. Dems will still attack him as trump insider, while trumps base will think he can’t be trusted.
He can’t be Trusted
After his Rogan interview, and I came here and called him anti Jewish and a traitor to Trump, I was vilified,
The thousand dead Americans killed by Iran was a price JD was willing to pay to maintain the illusion of peace. He is a fundamentally stupid man. He has no business being in any political office.
Fox News is already starting to revert back to their establishment conservative commentary that characterized the network before trump.
Laura Ingraham was saying that trump should just declare victory and leave, and tell “regional allies” to take care of things.
What does that even mean
Quit? Resign?
Too much Botox in the brain. She’s a Rino, always has been
She sticks her finger in the air and makes her decisions that way
No courage, no loyalty
Ever
While he might be able to redeem himself, it is, perhaps, time to coin the phrase . . .
“Never Vance”
Agreed. I was thinking about backing him, and then he sent out that tweet.
Nope. Not going to bother with him.
After all, neither Trump nor Vance were running in this election. So what is it that you’re all so worked up about?
I’m kind of angry that Vance was personally responsible for much of the blue wave, yet he’s trying to blame everyone else while playing the “I told you so” game. He is utterly incompetent and shouldn’t be anywhere near the levers of power.
And are the incumbent senators who ran in the election in any way responsible for the “blue wave”?
We can not advance with J.D. Vance
Vote for Ron Desantis the Praying Mantis:
“A candidate worth praying for.”
“Clean up the pests in government.”
“Patiently listening, decisively acting.”
“Sharp Vision. Focus. Watching Out for You.”
He’s the globalists choice
Replace him w the great Col Allen West or some other decent guy who doesn’t have a political axe to grind for the next two years
I like Allen West , he’s loyal
JD is done for and if Trump runs his mouth for the next two years instead of focusing on what he can get done, like finish this war, then a D will win in 2028.
I would take Vance more seriously if he also owned tbe deficits and debt.
If they were going to spend so much political capital, Iran would not have been my first choice. They should have spent 2025 shoring up social security and trimming spending. DOGE didnt deliver any spending cuts. Between the Ukraine war (which already made ferillizer scarce), runaway deficits, and the AI boom, the Iran war was was just throwing an inflationary match on a pile of dry tinder
Shore up SSA how exactly? There’s three ways to do it and none would be politically popular with the working folks:
1. Cut spending elsewhere sufficient to make up the looming 22% ish benefit shortfall which is roughly 1/2 a
$ trillion or about 10% of TOTAL Federal Revenue in first year rising thereafter.
2. Raise tax rates/impose new taxes That’s on top of the existing 15%+ SSA/Medicare tax burden on workers.
3. Borrow the 1/2 $ trillion + each year …that would be on top of the existing $ 2 trillion annual budget deficit adding to our $40 trillion + Federal Debt.
As for big spending/fiscal responsibility ….The last guy who offered up major pushback on the rampant deficit spending of the Trump Admin was …Rep Massie and Trump got so PO with him he demanded someone ‘primary him’ then Trump got a bunch of big $ out of State campaign donors to shove $20 million + into a Kentucky Congressional primary contest to oust him.
“I would take Vance more seriously if he also owned tbe deficits and debt.” If he owned both, what do you propose for him to do?
You’re completely ignoring the role of the courts and their refusal to acknowledge the rule of law while playing defense for the democrats.
It’s the losers fault. You thought you didn’t have to put in the work.
My take from the beginning of the administration has been that Vance is good but not yet ready to play in the big leagues. He’s too much a follower of President Trump and not enough his own man. I view this little kerfuffle as a necessary step in his education, so he can be ready someday.
I see the knives are out for Vance.
Its almost as if anyone who questions the wisdom of entering into another open ended Middle Eastern conflict without clear goals, that seem to have ever shifting definitions of success and with more international opposition from our European ‘allies’ than assistance are ….unloved by the neocons and chicken hawks who still hold enormous sway in the GoP for some reason.
You don’t come out and stab your leader in the back the day after a disastrous election
Which O might add musk has shown how 2-3 million voters , not citizens, were registered in Texas for 22-24 and that huge amounts of them
Voted
So what will be done, the data is there in black and white
Nothing?
Vance made the same point that President Trump made about the polling data revealing that the Iran war itself was a huge direct influence on votes as well as the indirect consequences of the war in driving up oil/Nat gas/fertilizer prices.
Anyone trying to say that’s not what happened is selling you some neocon bs. They see this an opportunity to weasel back into control of the direction of the GoP levers of power.
Consider why we lost in Iowa and KS and across the farm States and rural farming/ranching areas of other States. Part of it was cost of diesel and fertilizer.
The difference between them is that Vance doesn’t think the massive losses in House, Senate and at State level in handing the d/prog Governor,.AG and legislative victories will be worth setting back Iranian ambitions. A great many people agree with Vance about it. Consider Judicial nominations for next two years with a d/prog majority Senate. How about implementing the Census and reapportionment after the Census …it would be really handy to control state legislature to redraw the maps.
Vance kept the conflict open ended. We should have just bombed them until they couldn’t muster any response. As for Europe… we pretty much have to go it alone because many of our supposed friends want us weak and would love to see us attacked.
You seem to be claiming that the VP overrode the decisions of the President and demanded an open ended continuation of the conflict?
This is the same conflict that the VP was reportedly opposed to and advised against b/c he was concerned about direct consequences plus secondary/ tertiary impacts like high fuel costs, higher oil/Nat gas costs and higher fertilizer costs that would damage the core of MAGA in rural areas and farming/ranching States …not to mention a violation of the ‘no new wars’ pledge that is a pillar of ‘America First’? You’re telling us that Vance told Trump to sit down and STFU b/c Vance was gonna run the show about Iran? Nah cuz that dog won’t hunt.
I would appreciate somebody explaining to me what the frequent refrain “Finish the war!” means. Not what the desired outcome is, but the strategy to get there.
.
Does it mean killing tens of millions of civilians directly? Or killing tens of millions of innocents indirectly, by wiping out all food, water, fuel, and infrastructure, and making huge chaos in the Middle East?
,
How should we “finish” a war against hundreds of decentralized, sometimes completely independent armed lunatic terrorist cells scattered in and among the civilian population in a very large country, along with their additional lunatic terrorist cells outside the country? (Houthis are now what, half a million?)
.
How many American kids, a couple of them mine, do we set down in their boots to be sacrificed in this kind of Quixotic adventure because “affordability” or something…
.
Waiting…
My understanding, Trump was going in to destroy the infrastructure and Vance convinced him to try diplomacy
Well we all know how that worked out
We had them on the rocks and we stopped
Like we always do post WW2 with the same freaking results
This is on Vance but Trump listened to him and gave him a chance to get a workable treaty with the terrrorist American/ Jew hating Muslims and guess what?
They played him and that was what lead us to here
JD, the cocky diplomat got shellacked
Trump did destroy the infrastructure he intended to destroy. I am not against the war as such from that standpoint. But for months I;ve been hearing from impatient people carrying on “finish the war.” I am waiting for these military mavins to explain to me the strategy they are envisioning, obviously something other than a slow economic suffocation, and to play it by ear.
Without the IRGC, the mullah’s have no way of enforcing their tyranny. Total destruction of the IRGC is the only way out.
Yeah? How should we do this? How do we destroy isolated, decentralized, armed groups of lunatics interspersed in and amond a big civilian population? How do you propose we know which persons are IRGC? Waiting for the military strategy from all the people who apparently know more than those doing it.
Maybe we should ask Mossad.
They seem to have it down to a frickin’ science.
IF there is still enriched uranium somewhere in Iran and any partially completed nuclear components, then find and destroy. Whether these photos of ‘pick ax’ mountain are real or a misdirect, I don’t know. It seems like putting a flashing billboard over the entry saying ‘entry here’. I have to figure between Mossad and our people plus intel from locals, we should have a handle on what and where.
By now all intelligence agencies should have located the majority of IRGC that matter and should be ready to remove them
If there have been weapons smuggled into Iran and given to some of the locals then that would be helpful as well. We just don’t know.
So send in boots? Who? Find and destroy, how? Intelligence agencies knowing where isolated armed jihadist groups of 15 or 40 hang out and hide in a country of 90+ million people? Smuggle in weapons to whom? (We did give some to the Kurds and they are hoarding them.)
Didn’t say anything about ‘send in boots’ there are plenty there now doing specialized work. Other than that you are just kicking up sand knowing full well there is massive Mossad and SF on the ground there and have been. How do you know we gave some to the Kurds? Trump declared it months ago? Like it meant anything?
How about: “Better for us to kill them than to allow them to kill us.”
Sure, it would be regrettable to kill innocents, but unfortunately the various tyrannical regimes in the Middle East routinely locate their military assets within civilian areas.
The Iranian regime has repeatedly stated its hope/intention to bring about the death of America. I’d rather we kill THEIR so-called “innocents” than allow them to kill Americans.
Kill who, and how?
How many more Americans, dead at the hands of the regime are you willing to sacrifice? Presumably you don’t include your own kids. Pulling a blanket over your head, sticking your fingers in your ears and chanting la-la-la-la-la doesn’t change reality.
Waiting for the strategy. Apparently there are so many people on-line who know so much more than the guys at McDill and Bragg. We’ve done in their nuclear for now, What means “finish the war”. Still waiting…
“We’ve done in their nuclear for now” How do you know?
JD Vance wants it both ways, to say that war was justified but then that diplomacy is the only answer, and that we fight Israel’s battles :who isn’t a “real ally”, and that America is standing up for the western world. Which is it? I’m so tired of the old strategy of blaming Israel for everything. Where did you get your diplomacy noted from Egypt? Iran is a threat to the United States they call us the “great Satan,” for a reason. They are the primary supporter and sponsor of terrorism globally and they endlessly sow violence and chaos the world over through their proxy groups. Hezbollah=Hamas=Houthis=Iran. Pretending their is some magic diplomacy that’s going to get them to heel is nonsense, and frankly sounds like Obama. We tried the Obama strategy and it lead to 10/7. I’d love JD Vance to look in the mirror an realize the republicans lost because they are the problem, they have no clear messaging, didn’t get through large parts of their agenda in Congress, where wishy washy about the war w/ Iran, and let the media control the narrative on illegal immigration. I knew they were going to lose after the whole Renee Good death got everyone in the progressive wing of this country all fired up: it was like George Floyd all over again. This process is painful but normal, its time for the R’s to take a hard look at who they are and what they stand for and get that across to people more effectively. If they stand for Jew bashing and blaming then count me out. Israel is honest about what they face and their place in the world. They don’t give a toss what people think about them globally as they protect themselves. Why can’t America, be the same? Stop apologizing and appeasing. Stop scapegoating and own the responbility of having to be the stronghold of freedom and opportunity the world over. Wars never end they just shape shift. Either help make Americans proud of this country and our place in the world or lose your country’s soul.
Much of that is true. I’d like it if the more vocal backers of Israel would acknowledge that it is OK not to share that particular opinion and not automatically jump to ‘you’re an ist full of isms and phobes’ if folks don’t think like you.
That is how it comes across whether intentionally or unintentionally and Grandma had wisdom about catching flies with honey not vinegar.
Agreed on piss poor/absent messaging. Agreed on lack of production out of Senate; Thune is a worthless establishment do nothing hack.
I absolutely reject the notion that the USA is responsible for defending anything or anyone but our own Citizens. If the European Nations prefer to be overrun by the intifada they willingly imported and/or starve to death while shivering in their unheated apartments b/c they ran off all their farmers and put their faith into intermittent windmills/solar to proved energy instead of natural gas/coal or sufficient nuke power …cool. That’s their choice it isn’t ours and I really don’t care. The French have a Foreign Legion and anyone truly concerned enough to demand military force to ‘save’ Europe from themselves can go join it or at least make the attempt.
Punditry aside, all we know is that we really don’t know. We’ll see how Vance pans out, but what I see is an embarrssment of riches when it comes to viable GOP presidential contenders in ’28: they’re pretty much all tough, articulate, and have solid records of accomplishment.
Not a bad fellow just in over his head
He’s really a lightweight.
And continuing to maintain his friendship and support of Tucker long after Tucker outed himsrlf as a raging anti-semite is rather disqualifying.
Rubio 2028.
Maybe DeSantis.
Leave a Comment