Vance’s Foreign Policy Pivot

**Julia Ioffe** (0:01)
We've done a lot for you.
Don't you forget it. That is the kind of thing that would have been politically toxic just a few years ago. But now here was JD. Vance, the MAGA vice president, saying, Israel, sit down and shut up.

**Peter Hamby** (0:19)
Welcome to The Powers That Be Daily, Puck's podcast focused on the intersection of Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood and the players who run it all. I'm Peter Hamby. It's Thursday, July 2nd. Today, I'm joined by Julia Ioffe with some new reporting on JD. Vance and his increasing willingness to criticize Israel, as the US works through its ceasefire deal with Iran. As Julia reports, one isolationist thinker in Washington has been chatting with Vance, and he might be influencing the vice president's thinking.
We'll discuss all that and much more on today's episode of The Powers That Be.

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**Peter Hamby** (1:32)
Happy Thursday everybody and welcome to The Powers That Be. I'm joined today by my colleague, Julia Ioffe. We're going to talk about the state of play in Iran, but Julia has done some deep reporting on James David Vance. That would be our vice president who has been lately very critical of Israel, and as Julia reports, has been talking to a very interesting person as he fleshes out his foreign policy views, especially in the Middle East. Julia, it's good to see you. I know you're moving if you're watching on YouTube, and Julia looks like she's in a hostage video. She hasn't unpacked yet, but she's joining us here on the podcast. Thank you, my friend.

**Julia Ioffe** (2:10)
I've never been more jealous of your background, Peter.

**Peter Hamby** (2:14)
We have the same exact bookshelves I see. Mine are just full of the books that you currently have in boxes. Unpacking the boxes of books might not be the hardest part, but it's certainly the heaviest part, so Godspeed.

**Julia Ioffe** (2:26)
I'm looking forward to that part, honestly.

**Peter Hamby** (2:29)
Let's start with Iran. JD. Vance spoke to members of the military in my home state of Virginia on Wednesday and said, The US has accomplished its core mission in Iran. Yes, there's still some fighting going on back and forth. There's still some diplomatic posturing, but the core mission is done.
Vance continues to be out there more than Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, as a front man for Donald Trump's war with Iran. We talked a little bit about this last week, but you wrote about it for The Best and The Brightest, and I wanted to go a little bit deeper on Vance and where he's at right now. He was flaying Israel and Netanyahu just a week ago, basically consigning them to a rump state on the sidelines. We've got this negotiation handled, but Vance also warned Netanyahu and his political forces in Israel to cut it out in Lebanon. He said to stop criticizing or sniping on background or from the sidelines criticizing Donald Trump, saying it's basically our way or the highway, Israel. Talk a little bit about JD. Vance's evolution. That's what it feels like on Israel. Is it just conditional to this war right now and Netanyahu's role in it?

**Julia Ioffe** (3:47)
Well, it's interesting that you said, first of all, it's interesting that you said James David Vance, you said, because during the campaign, I remember somebody had a meme that his name was actually Jance Dance Vance.
And that's just how I think of him now.
So Jance Dance Vance, also known as the vice president of the United States, you know, he's, in some ways, this was not out of the ordinary for him. He's become kind of the sculder in chief, right? He scolded America's allies at the Munich Security Forum in February 2025, just hot out of the gate, said that you guys are basically antithetical to all the values we hold dear because you are trying to sideline these far right parties that are simpatico to MAGA. Shortly thereafter, he dressed down Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, in the Oval Office, saying essentially, you're ungrateful, you're an ungrateful vassal. And I would say that the isolationist camp, the restrainer camp, the so-called realist camp on the right that is headed by JD. Vance and features other prominent thinkers like Bridge Colby, who's now at the Pentagon, takes this very kind of condescending view toward our allies that you should be so grateful. You need, let's not forget who the senior partner and who the junior partner is in these, in all of these arrangements. And what I found remarkable about JD. Vance's kind of tongue lashing of Israel, Israel was kind of talked about in those terms behind closed doors in DC by Democrats, by Republicans, like how demanding they would be in meetings, how they would forget their place, how they would act like they weren't the junior partner in this relationship. And that JD. Vance just kind of took it public. And he said, know your place, essentially. Get out of the way and stop trying to scuttle this deal. Essentially, we've done a lot for you. Don't you forget it. That is the kind of thing that would have been politically toxic just a few years ago. And I would say is something that Republicans would have made hey of, political hey of, if a Democrat had done that, right? They would have painted them as weak on Israel, the old Dems Love Hamas line that emerged after October 7th. But now here was JD. Vance, the MAGA vice president, saying, Israel, sit down and shut up.