Vance Rips Violence Against Religion as ‘Anti-American’

Vice President JD Vance spoke firmly Tuesday about why violence against people for their faith is “particularly disgusting” and an affront to Americans.

“As a devout Christian, I would say, it’s one of the most anti-Christian things, and anti-American things that you could do,” Vance said at the White House briefing.

Vance answered a question about the prevalence of religious violence the day after a shooting at a San Diego mosque killed three people.

“One of the fundamental American rights that I think came from our Christian heritage as a civilization is the idea that we respect people’s religious freedom, in part because we respect them as human beings, but also because we respect their right to find their own pathway to God,” Vance said.

“You can’t force anybody to a pathway to God. They have to, through their own free will, find God themselves. That’s one of the reasons why that right of religious freedom is the very first right enshrined in our Constitution,” he continued.

“So when you commit acts of violence, you’re committing an act against this fundamental idea that people are created in the image of God, and that they have the right, through their own free will, to find God, however they might want.”

Vance fielded questions from the press in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on numerous topics for about an hour. He is among the rotating replacements for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt while she is on maternity leave.

“I told Karoline I would stand in for her today for the White House press briefing, on the condition that when Usha has our baby in July, that she would be vice president for a couple weeks,” Vance said to laughter, referring to the expecting second lady.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio conducted a press briefing, sparking talk about the 2028 Republican presidential primary.

On Tuesday, one reporter asked a question that referenced Vance as a potential future presidential candidate, to which he responded: “First of all, I’m not a potential future candidate. I’m a vice president, and I really like my job.”

With regard to the Iran war, the vice president said, “We think the Iranians want to make a deal.”

“The president of the United States has asked us to negotiate in good faith, and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” Vance said.

“We’re in a pretty good spot here, but there’s an option B, and the option B is that we could restart the military campaign to continue to prosecute the case, to continue to try to achieve America’s objectives.”

Later, regarding gas prices, Vance said, “After we take care of business in the Middle East, those prices should come down.”

He took a question about the U.S. launching an operation in Iran 11 weeks ago with no peace agreement having been reached, after President Donald Trump said the conflict would likely last six weeks.

“A lot of Americans, especially in my generation, are worried about forever endless conflicts,” the 41-year-old vice president said.

“We have to remember, I think you said 11 weeks, a big chunk of that has been a ceasefire,” Vance continued.

“This is not a forever war. We’re gonna take care of business and come home. That’s what the president has promised, and that’s exactly what he’s going to deliver.”

Vance also took a question about Trump’s endorsement earlier Tuesday in the Texas Republican U.S. Senate runoff of Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

“I’ve known John Cornyn for a long time, but unfortunately, when it really counted, Ken Paxton was there for the country, was there for the president, and that’s why he ultimately earned the president’s endorsement,” Vance said.