Camilla Jessen
Vice President JD Vance praised recent U.S. airstrikes on Iran and laid out the “Trump Doctrine” in foreign policy.
Speaking to Republicans in his home state of Ohio, Vice President JD Vance delivered a full-throated defense of the recent U.S. strikes on Iran, calling them “extremely successful” and a model of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy vision.
“Not only did we destroy the Iranian nuclear program, we did it without any American being harmed,” Vance claimed at the dinner.
His comments matched claims made by President Donald Trump, although early intelligence reports suggest the damage to Iran’s nuclear program may have been smaller than what they’ve claimed.
Defining the ‘Trump Doctrine’
Politico reports that Vance used the platform to explain what he termed the “Trump Doctrine” in global affairs.
The strategy, he said, follows a three-step approach:
- Clearly state what matters to the U.S.—in this case, stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
- Try to fix the problem through diplomacy first.
- If diplomacy doesn’t work, use strong military force, but don’t stay in a long war.
“When you can’t resolve it diplomatically, you use overwhelming military power to resolve it, and then you quickly leave before it becomes a protracted conflict,” Vance said.
Split Opinions in the GOP
While many Republicans supported the strikes, not everyone in the party agreed.
Some more cautious voices, like Steve Bannon and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, raised concerns.
Greene posted on social media criticizing what she called “neoconservative warlords,” though both she and Bannon still said they supported Trump overall.
To clear up any confusion, Vance and other top officials—including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—went on TV to say the goal was only to stop Iran’s nuclear plans, not to push for regime change.
But President Trump made things less clear when he posted online: “if the current Iranian regime can’t MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why not regime change??”
Later, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump believes the Iranian people should decide their future on their own.
Ohio Crowd Cheers Military Action
In Ohio, support for the Iran strikes was strong.
At the Republican dinner in Allen County, one of the state’s most pro-Trump areas, Vance’s comments were met with loud applause and cheers.
He joked that he was told he might have to cancel his speech because of the situation in the Middle East.
“Why on earth would we cancel a visit to Lima, Ohio?” he said, getting more cheers from the crowd.
Outside the event, around three dozen protesters held signs and chanted against both Trump and Vance.
One sign read, “Ohio does not claim you,” while others shouted, “OH, IO, JD Vance must go.”
