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U.S. Vice President JD Vance is seeking to build a political coalition among supporters of President Donald Trump who have grown dissatisfied with his foreign policy, particularly the war against Iran and Washington's relationship with Israel, as he positions himself ahead of the 2028 presidential election cycle, Fox News Digital reported Wednesday.
The effort comes after Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections, with Vance publicly blaming the defeat on the Iran war amid reports of months of internal disagreements over the conflict.
According to Fox News Digital, Vance has begun developing a political message aimed at voters aligned with Trump's original "America First" movement who believe the administration has moved too close to Israel.
The vice president's position has also exposed differences within Trump's administration over how to handle the conflict with Tehran, with Axios and The Wall Street Journal reporting that Vance and other senior officials have pushed for negotiations while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has favored continuing military operations.
Fox News Digital reported that a White House meeting was held Wednesday morning to coordinate the administration's messaging following the Republican election losses.
After the meeting, Vance shared a post on X citing a pollster who identified four priorities for Republicans seeking to regain voter support: ending the Iran war, addressing inflation and living costs, putting America first and changing Washington's relationship with Israel.
"The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote, referring to the conflict with Iran. "The president himself said so last night."
A White House official told Fox News Digital that the four priorities had become Vance's message to the "new right," a coalition of Trump supporters dissatisfied with aspects of the administration's foreign policy.
The official said the initiative was not intended as a break with Trump but rather as an effort to reach voters who continued to support the president while disagreeing with his approach to Israel and Iran.
"Vance is our guy," the official said.
The Washington Post separately reported that Vance's position highlighted the political challenges facing the vice president, who is widely viewed as a possible Republican presidential contender in 2028.
The political developments followed months of reported disagreements within the Trump administration over the conflict.
Vance privately accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "being wrong on everything" regarding Iran and repeatedly urged Trump to negotiate an end to the fighting, Axios reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions.
According to the report, Vance warned that the conflict was deeply unpopular among American voters and could cost Republicans their congressional majorities in the midterm elections.
Axios also reported that Netanyahu had urged Trump to resume military strikes against Iran before the elections, despite warnings from senior American officials about the potential political consequences.
Trump considered renewed attacks but ultimately decided to wait until after the vote, according to the report.
Axios said most senior officials around Trump shared Vance's preference for an agreement with Tehran, although the president remained inclined toward renewed military action.
The report also said Trump endorsed Netanyahu in Israel's recent election despite advice from senior administration officials against doing so.
The Wall Street Journal reported that disagreements over the Iran war intensified during a September meeting in the White House Situation Room attended by Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials.
Participants expressed concern that publicly acknowledging continuing U.S. military strikes could damage Republican candidates in competitive congressional races, according to the newspaper.
Officials subsequently briefed Trump, who agreed that publicizing the operations would not benefit the party's electoral prospects, the Journal reported.
U.S. forces later conducted limited defensive strikes against Iranian missile launchers and other military equipment without publicly emphasizing the operations.
The newspaper also reported that some White House advisers blamed Hegseth for persuading Trump that the war would be a relatively short military engagement.
Hegseth reportedly favored continuing the military campaign, while Vance, Rubio and other officials advocated diplomatic negotiations.
Despite the internal criticism, Trump has publicly defended his defense secretary and indicated that he does not intend to remove him.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has continued preparations for a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran.
According to the Journal, another aircraft carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary unit were moving toward the Middle East, potentially adding thousands of U.S. military personnel to the region.
Vance's disagreements with the administration's approach became more visible after Democrats regained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Tuesday's elections.
"The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote on X.
According to The Washington Post, Vance argued that some voters who supported Trump in 2024 had turned against Republicans because of the conflict, rising living costs and dissatisfaction with U.S. foreign policy.
"Our voters showed up," Vance wrote, arguing that many had nevertheless voted for Democrats.
The Washington Post described his remarks as a departure from Trump's initial response to the election, when the president and his advisers blamed Republican candidates for the party's losses.
Trump subsequently acknowledged that the Iran war had contributed to the defeat by driving up gasoline prices.
"I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term," Trump told reporters Wednesday when asked about Vance's assessment.
The president nevertheless defended the military campaign, maintaining that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained essential.
Trump also said he was aware of Vance's position on the conflict and spoke positively about the vice president's remarks.
The Republican election defeat has intensified discussions within the administration over the next phase of the Iran conflict.
According to Axios, Trump faces three principal options: resuming major military strikes, negotiating an agreement with Tehran or maintaining the naval blockade and economic sanctions while seeking additional Iranian concessions.
The report said Qatari mediators were working on a draft agreement intended to prevent renewed fighting and potentially open the way for direct U.S.-Iranian negotiations.
Meanwhile, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other advisers reportedly favor giving the existing blockade and economic pressure campaign more time to produce results.
Other officials have advocated renewed military operations followed by negotiations, while some have urged Trump to wind down the campaign, the Journal reported.
The competing approaches come as Democrats prepare to assume control of Congress in January 2027, potentially bringing greater scrutiny of the administration's military operations and foreign policy decisions.
For Vance, the dispute has also become part of a broader political effort to reconnect with Republican voters dissatisfied with the war, even as he and other administration officials continue to operate under Trump's leadership.
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