Overview
- An official photo shows JD Vance in the White House Situation Room when strikes on Iran began, while President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio monitored from Mar-a-Lago.
- Since the operation started, Vance has made few public remarks, giving one television interview in which he said the conflict would not become another American “forever war.”
- Trump acknowledged policy differences, saying Vance was “philosophically a little bit different” and “maybe less enthusiastic” about Operation Epic Fury but still supportive.
- The New York Times reported Vance pushed to move quickly once strikes were decided, as his spokesman dismissed talk of a low profile as “ridiculous.”
- Rubio has taken a prominent public role on Iran and, as a potential 2028 rival to Vance, drew louder cheers at a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser, according to the Wall Street Journal.