EXCLUSIVE — Vice President JD Vance sat for a half-hour interview with the Washington Examiner, during which he spoke about Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis, President Donald Trump‘s designs for Greenland, “realistic” expectations for the anti-abortion movement, and more.
The interview took place on Thursday aboard Air Force Two, sandwiched between Vance’s affordability-focused stop in Toledo, Ohio, and his meeting with immigration officers and community members in Minneapolis. Three aides to the vice president sat in on the conversation, and, at one point, an Air Force attendant briefly interrupted the interview to deliver Vance a coffee.
Regarding Minneapolis, Vance conceded that ICE officers have made mistakes in carrying out Trump’s deportation agenda. He said the administration will, “when justified,” take disciplinary action against ICE officers over misuses of force or improper arrests, even while vowing to defend people who have done their job in incredibly tough circumstances.
On Greenland, Trump tapped Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in the week to lead negotiations on a new deal with NATO allies. Despite the public posturing of European leaders, Vance said those officials were “much more reasonable” in closed-door talks and were virtually in lock-step with the president’s thinking on three critical points regarding the Arctic island.
You can read the transcript of Vance’s full interview with the Washington Examiner below.
VANCE: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL, WHEN ‘JUSTIFIED,’ DISCIPLINE ICE OFFICERS WHO MAKE ‘MISTAKES’
Christian Datoc: Right off the top. You’re a Marine. Do you not feel a duty to alert the secretary of war that his [physical training] form is just downright terrible?
*** Vance aides laugh ***
Vance: I have not noticed that.
Datoc: Really?
Vance: I think the secretary of war — well, what’s bad about his form?
Datoc: He’s not going below 90 [mimes pull up form]. Trap bar deadlifts, knees over toes. Kettlebell swings —
*** Vance laughs ***
Datoc: — Don’t even get me started on the kettlebell swings.
Vance: I admit to having not watched videos of the secretary of war’s PT. I will say when I went out with the Navy SEALs a few weeks ago, they had very good things to say about the secretary of war. So even if his form may not be perfect, he’s got the right attitude and the right motivation.
Datoc: Alright, sticking on the military, you spoke a lot [in Toledo] about Greenland and national security threats. That’s why the U.S. and the president are pursuing this issue. You mentioned a hypothetical scenario of an [intercontinental ballistic missile] coming over the pole, but it seems to me, and in speaking with experts, that it’s more likely that Russia or China would send nuclear submarines up through the ice. Can you just speak to how severely out-manned and underequipped we are in the region?
Vance: Well, I think that just because one type of attack is more likely doesn’t mean you don’t have to defend against all attacks. That’s part of having a robust missile defense system. We’ve known for a long time that the Arctic’s a big part of that. That’s why we have a Space Force base in the Arctic right now, and the concern isn’t that Russia or China is going to invade Greenland in the next couple of years. The concern is that if you look, historically, at the way the European nations have approached these colonies, they typically just sort of give up on them over time. Either because they don’t have the self-confidence, they don’t have the resources, they don’t have the national political will to sort of keep these places safe.
And so if Greenland were to fall into the hands of the Russians and the Chinese, something that even the Danes themselves have admitted could happen at least over the medium and long term, it would make our security weaker. It would give them power projection abilities. It would make our missile defense weaker, and so these things all counsel in favor of us shoring up that area —
*** Air Force attendant knocks on cabin door, enters, and brings the vice president a coffee ***
— making sure it’s properly secure. Thank you.
And if we’re going to do that, then I think it’s reasonable for the president to say, ‘We should have some ownership capacity here.’ We’re not going to defend an island that has no connection to the United States.
Datoc: Have you spoken to Secretary Rubio yet about how, now that the president has sort of announced on Truth, you’ll be leading negotiations on this framework deal? How can you mobilize our European allies because they’ve been, you know, incredibly hostile to this idea?
Vance: They’ve been incredibly hostile in public, and a lot of this is posturing, right? So, if you’re a European leader, they have to seem like a tough guy against Donald J. Trump. So, a lot of this, what we’ve seen, is more symbolic posturing for the Europeans. Behind the scenes, they’re much more reasonable. In the private negotiations that I’ve had, that Secretary Rubio’s had, they admit a few critical things.
No. 1: that Greenland is important to our shared NATO Security Alliance. No. 2: that the Russians and Chinese have shown a particular interest in Greenland, but more, over the next call it three to 15 years, not the next one to three years. And they’ve also acknowledged that, if God forbid, something significant happened in Greenland, the U.S. would have to play the leading role in defending it.
So there’s a broad recognition that much of what we said about Greenland is actually true, and it’s interesting to juxtapose the public posturing with, I think, the very reasonable private negotiations that we’ve had with the Europeans.
Datoc: They’ve also been very publicly resistant, not only the last few weeks, but over years and decades, really, about mining the resources on that island. Have they indicated in private that they might expedite that? Because I know it’s a big part of the president’s push — critical minerals, the oil, all of that.
Vance: Yeah. Look, Greenland has a lot of natural resources, natural resources that have been underdeveloped, underutilized. Part of that is because it’s a very small population. The Danes have not invested a whole lot in Greenland. Part of it is because obviously there’s resources —
Datoc: Sorry, not to cut you off, but I know we’re limited on time.
Vance: Please. Yeah. Yeah.
Datoc: Do we have an accurate assessment of how much is there and how much would be accessible?
Vance: I think we have an accurate assessment, but like with any of this stuff, you can use technology to try to get a good guess. Our sense is that there’s a lot of oil, a lot of gas, and a lot of critical minerals. You don’t really know until you actually go in there and do the work. We feel quite confident it’s going to be a big part of the mineral future for the United States.
Datoc: Let’s talk about Minneapolis and ICE. Obviously, we’re heading [to Minneapolis] now. I noticed a pretty significant shift when the president was in the briefing room earlier this week, compared to when you were in the briefing room, and when [White House press secretary] Karoline [Leavitt] blew up on a reporter about mistakes that ICE is making. You likened them [in Toledo] to law enforcement making mistakes — it happens. But law enforcement takes accountability for those mistakes. There are repercussions. So will the federal government take ownership, take action against ICE agents, put new policies in place, to make sure that misuses of force, improper arrests of American citizens, or detainment, or whatever you want to say, that this stuff is limited and could potentially be eliminated entirely?
Vance: Well, first of all, you’re never going to eliminate, entirely, mistakes. You’re talking about human beings. We have a country of 330 million. It’s going to happen at the local level. It’s going to happen at the federal level, you know? You’re going to have mistakes. That’s not to say that we’re — you can acknowledge that mistakes sometimes happen while also acknowledging that 99% of our ICE officers are doing the right thing. They’re doing a very tough job in Minneapolis. They’re doing a tough job in incredibly difficult circumstances.
Datoc: Well, I would say the same of police officers, though, sir —
Vance: I would say the same of police officers, and —
Datoc: But there are repercussions for the bad actors, no?
Vance: Well, of course. Certainly, when we have any accusation of wrongdoing, we investigate it, we look into it. If we think that there are, you know, disciplinary actions justified, then, of course, we’re going to take those disciplinary actions. That’s a separate question from whether, for example, the ICE officer who was hit by this car was in reasonable defense, or in reasonable fear of his life. We’re going to investigate that. We’re going to look into it. We’re also going to defend people who were doing their job in incredibly tough circumstances. You can do both of those things at the same time.
I also think that what we’re trying to do is actually make it easier for these guys to do their job. Minneapolis is a particularly absurd example, because if you look at the arrests, most of the arrests have been people who are so obviously illegal aliens. They’re criminally violent. They’re people who have no real legitimate claim to being in the United States of America, and much of them have violent histories on top of it, and the Minneapolis government has been so difficult to work with, and they’ve made this law enforcement environment much more chaotic than it needs to be.
Datoc: We’ve heard Tom Homan say this, and you sort of alluded to it [in Toledo], but is it the operating line of the White House that if these sanctuary cities allowed ICE into the jails, at the very least, to pick up migrants who have committed crimes on U.S. streets, that the presence of agents conducting raids on communities would decrease?
Vance: Oh, of course it would. It’s very — what you’re seeing in Minneapolis is very unique to Minneapolis. There’s ICE operating in all 50 states, in every major city in the United States of America, doing interior deportations, and it just isn’t nearly as chaotic, with the exception of a few places. Obviously, Los Angeles got a little hairy last summer. Minneapolis is a problem. Chicago’s a problem. It’s sanctuary city jurisdictions where you see this.
It’s not just the sanctuary cities. I think that’s one-half of the equation. The other reason why Minneapolis is chaotic is because you have far-left agitators who are actually interfering with ICE as they’re trying to do their job. I’m not talking about street protests, people raising signs and saying, ‘We don’t want immigration enforcement at the level the Trump-Vance administration is doing it.’ I’m talking about people getting in the face of law enforcement, doxing law enforcement, harassing them, going not just to the actual enforcement sites, but to people’s homes and churches. This is crazy town, and it’s why Minneapolis has been so chaotic. This is not the fault of ICE. This is the fault of left-wing agitators and also some local officials who are supporting those left-wing agitators instead of supporting law enforcement.
Datoc: I do want to ask about the midterms because I think you’re in a unique position, being the RNC finance chair. You’re doing a little bit of Marco Rubio duty yourself, wearing multiple hats. But one more news of the day item. The president was in Davos, is still in Davos, obviously. He’s got a lot of bruising on his left hand. We’ve heard about the Aspirin regimen, how many hands he shakes, and how that contributed to the bruising on his right hand. But do you have any idea what’s going on with the left?
Vance: So, I haven’t seen that. I will tell you, the president is in great health. He does shake a lot of hands. I think he’s been very open about this, whatever the issue he has. I’m not a doctor, so —
Datoc: The venous [insufficiency] —
Vance: Yeah, whatever the vein issue is that he has, he’s been very transparent about that. I think that for a person who keeps his schedule, he’s certainly able to do it. He’s doing a very good job for the American people. He has an energy level that is much higher than even some much younger people who work in the administration. And so I would just add —
Datoc: Does he have a higher energy level than you?
Vance: I would say so. He sleeps less than I do, that’s for sure. And I don’t sleep very much, but I sleep more than the president of the United States. But I would just ask the president at the White House about this stuff because he’s very transparent about what’s going on. So I wouldn’t speak to that because I haven’t seen it, but I know the president’s healthy, and I know he’s been very honest about the fact that he has some vein issues.
Datoc: Another thing the president told us in the briefing room the other day — we’re on the election now — is that there’s been failings of himself, of his comms team, Republicans in general, on selling the agenda. You spoke a lot about patience and doubling down in Toledo. But, you know, a lot of Republicans are saying, ‘That’s not really a strategy.’ So —
Vance: Yeah.
Datoc: In your position, both as the vice president and sort of the money man at the RNC, what actual strategic changes do you think Republicans need to make ahead of November on messaging?
Vance: Well, I think first of all, there is a strategy behind the messaging, because when people are aware of some of the things that we’ve done, and they connect them to administration policies, they’re much more likely to vote Republican. For example, people are starting to feel the lowering of costs of prescription drugs, the lowering cost of eggs, the lowering cost of gas.
What we need to do is to get them to connect the thing that they’re seeing on the ground with some action the administration has taken, because when they do make that connection, they’re much more likely to vote for us. Now, most people are not reading RealClearPolitics or the Washington Examiner. They’re paying their taxes, they’re taking care of their kids, they’re going to work every single day. And so a big part of what we need to do is just connect what people are seeing on the ground with what the administration is doing.
And I think the flip side of it is acknowledging, yes, there are a lot of people who are still struggling, but again, connecting that to some of the policy decisions made during the last administration. We’ve chipped away at a lot of those mistakes, but it’s impossible to expect that, for example, when the average American lost $3,000 of take-home pay under the Biden administration, we’ve picked up $1,300 of take-home pay during our administration — those are just objective economic statistics. But if you’re an American in Toledo, Ohio, you’re still $1,700 – $1,800 poorer. So, acknowledging that there’s still a lot of work to do and letting people know we’re committed to do it, I think that’s certainly part of our strategy for the midterms.
Datoc: I hear you. Acknowledgement is certainly part of it. The president putting forth proposals is another part of it, but much of this needs to be codified. So does Congress need to pass a bill before November?
Vance: I think a lot of this stuff we would love to have Congress codify. I mean, for example, ‘Most Favored Nation’ status for drugs —
Datoc: Sure.
Vance: I think a major success for the administration. I think it would be a lot better if Congress codified it. Now, it doesn’t matter over the next few years because as long as the administration works on it, we’re going to continue to get prescription drugs lower. But do I worry that a next administration, a Democratic administration, could undo some of that progress? Yes. Same thing on tax policy. The reason codifying it was so important is that you actually make it possible for that progress to maintain itself well into the next administration.
So some of this stuff you can do, but for — to make it endure, you’ve got to actually have Congress on the team. The SAVE is a great example. We’re doing a lot of stuff at the Department of Justice to try to enhance election security, but there’s only so much you can do without actual legislation. So there’s a lot of stuff where legislation would be good. Legislation would make some of these wins more durable, but we can still do a lot on the administration side.
Datoc: Without that legislation —
*** Vance aide interjects and says there’s time for ‘one or two more’ questions ***
Datoc: Yeah, without that legislation, on a scale of one to 10, how confident are you Republicans can hold the majorities?
Vance: Well, I think it depends on the issue, right?
Datoc: Affordability, I guess.
Vance: Yeah, which is a big issue, right? I mean, we’re talking about affordability in housing, affordability in healthcare, really need Congress to do something. And at the very least, we need Congress to take votes on policies that would be a win for the American people. For example, if you have a few moderate Democrats join with Republicans, and we get 57 votes on a really good health care package — now, is that going to have an immediate impact on the American people? No, because you need 60 votes to actually get some of this stuff passed. But so long as we’re able to say to the American people, ‘Republicans are working for you,’ I think they’ll reward us in November.
Datoc: The president, obviously, throughout his entire career, has been a bit of a maverick with his endorsements and all of that. You developed very close relationships both in the Senate and working directly for two prominent Republicans who aren’t getting his endorsement: Sen. Cassidy and Sen. Cornyn. How does that make you feel?
*** Vance laughs ***
Datoc: Do you wish he would just endorse the people who are sitting? Are we wasting energy — we being Republicans — infighting rather than trying to hold those seats?
Vance: Well, look, the president has the most powerful endorsement in American politics. That’s why people care so much about it. Look, I like Bill Cassidy. He’s a nice guy. He also voted for the president’s impeachment, so I understand why the president is not endorsing Bill Cassidy. So, I think some of this stuff is people have to accept that they’re — you know, we put on our big boy pants when we come into the United States Senate and take votes. Those votes have political consequences. You can’t vote for the president’s impeachment and expect that he’s going to line up behind you when you are in, yourself, a tough primary race. So that’s just the nature of the beast.
I also think that — you asked about John Cornyn and you asked about some of these other races, or you could ask about some of these other races. Fundamentally, we’re still pretty early in the cycle. I think we’ll see the president make more endorsements over the weeks and months to come. But he’s going to make an endorsement fundamentally on whether he thinks, No. 1, a candidate can win, and, No. 2, if the candidate does win, are they going to do a good job?
Datoc: You mentioned doubling down, again in Toledo. It’s a good line, I’m not going to lie. It implies you’re running in 2028.
*** Vance laughs ***
Datoc: How do you stack up against Gavin Newsom or —
Vance: No —
Datoc: Josh Shapiro or even Marco Rubio?
Vance: It just implies that I want these guys to continue to work toward the victories that we’ve earned over the past year. When I say doubling down, I really just mean, we lost so much under four years of the Biden administration. We’ve done a lot of good over the first year of the Trump administration. Let’s keep it going. That’s what I mean.
Datoc: Do you think there’s one issue where the Trump administration hasn’t succeeded to the level that you guys would have wanted to yet? Like, what do you think your biggest regret for year one is?
Vance: I —
*** Vance aide tries to end the interview ***
Vance: It’s OK, he can ask one more question.
*** Vance pauses ***
Vance: But I’m way too smart to answer that.
*** Everyone laughs ***
Datoc: Alright, well, I’m taking another one then. That doesn’t count. That doesn’t count.
*** More laughter ***
Vance: Look, man, one of the things that I try to keep as my North Star in this job is to focus on the job that I have, not on any future job I might want. And that means that I give the president honest counsel, and that I execute his agenda, and I show loyalty to the man who tapped me to become his vice president. Because his success is fundamentally the success of the American people. I’m not going to do this thing that I think you’ve seen other people in the Trump orbit do — not in this administration. I think we’ve been very good in this administration, but in the first Trump administration, where they try to enhance themselves by tearing down the president of the United States. He has to be successful. If he’s not, it’s bad for the American people. So I’m going to keep on being a loyal soldier.
Datoc: Alright, this is the actual last question, and it’s quick. You’re speaking at the March for Life tomorrow. There’s been some pushback from Republicans who thought they would get more of a pro-life agenda. The president’s position has been very clear on this issue: it’s states’ rights. You’ve been clear yourself on this issue. You thought the abortion pill should be accessible to women across the country. So what are you going to tell pro-life voters on Friday?
Vance: I do think that we’ve — he’s been the most pro-life, the most successfully, pro-life president in American history. And I’ll let my remarks speak for themselves, but I understand there are a lot of pro-life activists — and I’m very pro-life — a lot of pro-life activists who wish that more would happen, who wish that more progress had been made. Look, I fought very hard against the statewide referendum in Ohio in 2023. I think it was — that really went down in flames. It was a major defeat for the pro-life community. It was a major defeat for me.
I think that we have to accept that part of what we need to do is persuade our fellow Americans in order to achieve more pro-life victories. The Trump administration continues, whether it’s the Mexico City Policy or other things, we continue to get some very good pro-life victories, but most of what’s going to happen over the next generation of the pro-life movement is we’re going to have to win victories at the state level.
And I think we can do that. I think we should organize and mobilize for that. But I think we have to be realistic with ourselves that, right now, the American people are not endorsing a lot of pro-life policy. I think that’s a terrible tragedy, but I’m focused on changing it, and I think that’s what we have to think. How do we win? You know, the pro-life movement goes nowhere if we make really good arguments that lose at the ballot box. We’ve got to figure out how to win.
Datoc: I lied, real fast —
Vance: Yeah, go ahead.
Datoc: East Palestine. The three-year anniversary is coming up of the derailment.
Vance: Sure.
Datoc: You spoke last year on the two-year anniversary.
Vance: Yep.
Datoc: Do you feel like the administration is keeping their promises to that community, and do you have anything planned for the three-year coming up in a couple of weeks?
Vance: So I don’t know if we have anything planned, but I do think that we’re keeping our promises. We’re in constant communication with state officials and local officials. They have a very open door. [Health and Human Services Secretary] Bobby Kennedy has done amazing things on some of the public health elements of the toxic chemical exposure — understanding it, and, if we get to the point where we need to, treating some of those conditions. I think, unfortunately, that train derailment will have changed East Palestine forever. I knew that the moment that it happened. But I think that we could help people rebuild and get the community back on solid footing.
Datoc: Just because you brought it up, have there been any findings yet from that study at HHS?
Vance: It’s still very early. This is the sort of thing that’s going to take a long time to understand. We’re not asking — we’re sort of trying to answer the question of, if you’re exposed to a low level of toxic chemicals over a five-year period, over a 10-year period, what happens? What diseases present themselves? How do we prevent those diseases? That’s the question we’re trying to answer. That’s, by the way, the thing, when I talk to East Palestine residents, that’s what they’re most worried about. It’s not like they’re going to drink the drinking water and drop dead. It’s that their grandkid, over 10 to 12 years, is going to experience some problem related to low-level toxic exposure, and that’s what we’re trying to give them. Either confidence that the answer is no, or, if the answer is yes, at least an understanding of better treatment. Thanks, man.
Datoc: Thank you, sir.
Vance: See ya.
Datoc: Oh, by the way, do you think Ryan Day is going to last at Ohio State?
*** Vance laughs ***
Datoc: Does he need to get canned?
Vance: Oh, man. He won the national title last year. I’m disappointed he didn’t this year, but I think his job is safe.
Datoc: Do you think you jinxed him with the trophy?
*** Everyone laughs ***
Vance: I only regret that I couldn’t break another championship trophy.
Datoc: Alright, thank you again, sir. And congratulations to you and the second lady.
Vance: I appreciate it. Take care.