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Vance Defends Trump's Ban on Media Outlets
Confirmed
In Short: Vice President JD Vance defended President Trump's decision to ban three media outlets from the White House, saying they would lose 'special access' but not complete exclusion.
Vice President JD Vance defended President Trump's decision to ban three media outlets from the White House, saying they would lose 'special access' but not complete exclusion. 'We're not gonna give you special access to the White House if you engage in what is effective propaganda,' Vance told reporters.
The three outlets have since announced a lawsuit to restore their access to the White House. Vance contended that the White House had merely rescinded 'special access' to critical outlets, adding, 'They're just not going to get an office in the White House anymore, and I think it's totally appropriate.
Most of the news outlets in the White House pool have sided with the three banned networks. Vance also addressed the conflict with Iran, ruling out calling the conflict a war despite renewed attacks and a growing military presence in the Middle East.
In a briefing at the White House, Vance touted US efforts to facilitate oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranians have disrupted maritime traffic since the war started. He credited Washington's actions with helping to avert a broader global energy crisis.
Vance said an end to the conflict would require a halt in Iranians shooting at commercial shipping. He also said the US was investigating a deadly strike on an Iranian wedding earlier this week that an analysis showed likely resulted from a direct hit by a US munition.
Vance urged war-weary Republicans not to abandon the party at the upcoming midterm elections 'over a policy disagreement here or there.' He repeated several of the themes heard from speakers over the last two days, describing Democrats as extreme.
The speech was interrupted by a protester carrying what Vance described as a Mexican flag. Vance asked disillusioned Republicans not to 'throw out the baby with the bath water' and said, 'If you love Mexico so much, get your a** over there. I'll buy you the plane ticket.
Trump is expected to headline both nights of the Republican midterm convention, with Vice President JD Vance and numerous administration officials, elected officials, and candidates also scheduled to appear.
What this adds
Vice President JD Vance has been privately contacting military commanders in the Middle East and elsewhere, requesting their individual assessments of the war, then sharing his concerns with President Trump.
What's confirmed
- "If you love Mexico so much, get your a** over there. I'll buy you the plane ticket," said Vance after the protester was escorted out.
What's still developing
- “What I can say with 100% confidence is that, unlike the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] IRGC, the United States never targets civilians in combat,” Vance said.
- He said: “I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what’s happened in the conflict thus far, so I’m extremely sceptical of this.” The toll was confirmed not by the Iranian government but by the Iranian Red Crescent, a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
- White Trump will attend alongside his Vice President, JD Vance ; no-shows will include top GOP senators, candidates in the tightest races in the country, and his own wife, who’ve all found somewhere else to be.
- But as Trump took to the stage after Vance, he was quick to remind the room of his pledge: to send every American adult citizen a $5,000 cash dividend.
- The newspaper reported Mr Vance had been privately contacting military commanders in the Middle East and elsewhere, requesting their individual assessments of the war, then sharing his concerns with Mr Trump.
- "Don't give the country over to a bunch of crazy people because you happen to disagree with us on a policy here or there." Mr Vance, who is widely seen as the party's likely 2028 presidential nominee, gave a speech that was at times distinctly personal.
- "I'll buy the plane ticket." Mr Vance's most likely rival for the presidential nomination, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, did not attend the event.