Vice President JD Vance has just leveled serious accusations against Israel. In a wide-ranging, three-hour conversation on The Joe Rogan Experience released on July 15, he told Joe Rogan that he knows “beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from [negotiations] because they want to continue the [Iran] military campaign.”
Per the New York Post, Vance also suggested that a coordinated foreign influence campaign is currently underway to sway the American people. He stated, “There are some people within their system, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely. Again, not towards any objective, but just indefinitely.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, Vance told Rogan, “When I open up the pages of Time magazine and I see that there’s a literal foreign influence campaign being funded to tank the very deal that I was pursuing, and, oh, by the way, many of the people who were receiving that money were actually attacking me in completely dishonest ways. You know, my response to that is, ‘Well, go to hell.’”
Vance was candid and diplomatic
The outlet noted that he emphasized his commitment to his role, adding, “I’m going to do what I have to do for the American people. I represent Americans first.” Despite this friction, Vance maintained that President Trump’s own stance on Iran remains entirely independent of Israeli pressure. He noted, “I think the president, completely separate from any influence from Israel, believes very strongly, and again I agree with this, that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.”
Beyond the geopolitical tension, Vance also addressed the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, an issue that has remained a political headache. As reported by The Guardian, Vance admitted, “We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files. Like, we just did,” Vance told Rogan. “But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No.”
The controversy stems from earlier in the administration’s term when former Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that a client list was ready for release. However, the subsequent binders reportedly provided to conservative influencers contained no new information. The release caused loyalists like Laura Loomer to express anger towards the administration.
The Guardian noted that Vance defended Bondi personally, even while acknowledging the political fallout. “I know Pam. I like Pam,” he said. “I don’t think there was anything malicious going on. I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment. I think she overstated what we had and what we didn’t have and I think that she, you know, got roasted for it publicly by a lot of people, including me.”
In the interview, Vance described himself as an “OG Epstein conspiracy theorist” and claimed he has spent significant time investigating the disgraced financier’s background. He noted, “He clearly had connections to the upper, the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence.”
He did, however, clarify that the government does not possess specific documentation linking Epstein to these agencies, suggesting that such records likely would have been destroyed years ago. “I’ve asked, ‘Were there documents connecting Jeffrey Epstein directly to our intelligence agencies or anybody else’s?” And the answer is no,” Vance said. “But if that s— existed, it wouldn’t exist in 2026.”
With the Iran war, Vance reportedly warned that total military destruction is not a viable path to security in the region. He argued that even if the U.S. were to bomb Iran “to oblivion,” it would not resolve the issue of protecting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“You can bomb them. You can take away their radar. You can take away some of their drones and some of their missiles, but it’s just too easy to fire at ships in the straits,” he explained to Rogan. “So, you’ve got to actually be willing to talk and to try to figure out the problem.”
Vance, who has served in the military, noted that he has dedicated substantial effort to the ongoing negotiations. Per the NY Post, he avoided saying whether he would have initiated the war himself. However, he emphasized that he is focused on achieving a successful outcome.
“My approach to this is not to Monday morning quarterback a decision that was made three months ago,” he said. “My approach to it is to try to make it as successful as possible. Which is why I’ve poured my heart and soul into these negotiations.”
Published: Jul 16, 2026 03:15 pm