As antisemitism ingrains itself deeper into the Democrat Party, and many young Republicans follow behind, taken captive by the conspiracies of Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and others, recent statements by Vice President JD Vance have shown that he is more than willing to feed into the trend.
On an episode this week of the “Joe Rogan Experience,” Vance seemed eager to brand himself as the “reasonable moderate” voice, repeatedly calling Israel an ally while simultaneously propping up outlandish theories directed against the Jewish State.
Vance cited an article in the Times which claimed there was a “well-funded” campaign from within the Israeli government to influence the Trump Administration and “tank” the MOU between the United States and Iran. The Vice President shifted the blame for his deal’s failure on Israeli leaders who he insisted desire for Iran to be bombed indefinitely with no objective outcome. Vance further added that this “foreign influence campaign” also targeted the American people through social media, in an effort to shift public opinion toward the Israeli desired direction of the war.
The Vice President smeared those asserting that negotiation with the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism is pointless, calling the notion “idiotic,” and downplayed the apocalyptic Islamic beliefs by the Iranian regime.
To top off the discussion, Vance also failed to counter Rogan’s claims that Israel used the “Epstein files” to blackmail American political leaders.
Many rightfully were disturbed by the interview, including JNS Editor in Chief Jonathan Tobin, who called the podcast a “sly piece of work.”
“While House Republicans were holding the line against the tide of anti-Israel sentiment sweeping the country, Vance went on the most-listened-to podcast this week and made it clear that he is not to be counted among those who share that position,” Tobin underscored. “The vice president demonstrated that he was not among those who value the alliance with Israel. To the contrary, he was eager to blame Israel, its government and its American friends for the fact that his excursion into foreign policy with a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran has become a fiasco.”
Tobin argued that Vance’s purpose in attacking Israel was not simply to place the Jewish State in the hot seat for the MOU’s downfall (instead of himself); it was also to appeal to the plethora of voters increasingly drawn into antisemitic conspiracies.
“[Vance] managed to stay loyal to Trump while also allowing those who have swallowed these tropes of Jew-hatred to think that he was also on their side,” he wrote. “So far, unlike the situation among Democrats, the anti-Israel wing of the Republican Party has shown no ability to win elections. But Vance seems convinced that it’s a potential source of votes, especially among young people on both the right and the left who have been influenced by toxic doctrines like critical race theory, intersectionality and settler-colonialism that dominate the American educational system.”
Should Conservatives be surprised by Vance’s statements? Not only has Vance refused to distance himself from Tucker Carlson’s anti-Israel tall tales, but he also took no issue playing a similar game during the last presidential election on the issue of abortion.
In 2024, Conservative Christians vocally opposed Vance’s promise to veto a national abortion ban, with FRC President Tony Perkins stating, “God have mercy on this nation if this is now the position of what was the Pro-Life Party.”
Vance seemed to have been willing to sacrifice the sanctity of life to appeal to voters across party lines, and by all appearances, he seems to be doing the same when it comes to Israel. To adapt the quote from Perkins, “God have mercy on this nation if this is now the position of what was the Pro-Israel Party.”
Christians must stand Biblically—and without hesitation—for the Jewish people and their God-given nation-state. As history proclaims, nations that turn on God’s chosen people, blaming them for their own shortfall, don’t fare well with the God of Israel, who promises to bless those that bless them and curse those who curse them (Genesis 12:3).
If the Republican Vice President believes cursing Israel is a winning strategy in today’s America, then the United States is in deep trouble.
