US Vice President JD Vance said Monday that Israel is “one of our most important alliances in the world” and the United States' “most important regional alliance,” as he warned that younger Americans are increasingly questioning the value of the relationship.
Vance made the comments while attending the Republican Jewish Coalition’s National Leadership Summit in Las Vegas. There, he held a behind-closed-doors conversation with RJC National Chairman Norm Coleman about US President Donald Trump, US-Israel relations, national security, and antisemitism.
The Jerusalem Post obtained the transcript of the discussion and also spoke to RJC national spokesman Sam Markstein about the meeting.
Throughout the discussion, Vance stressed the importance of the Israeli-US relationship to America’s national security.
“It’s one of our most important alliances in the world and certainly our most important regional alliance,” he told Coleman.
Vance says US, Israel will 'continue to work together'
While acknowledging that Israel and the US do not see eye-to-eye on some matters, Vance stressed that the two are “going to continue to work together” and that “there are still alignments of interest across a whole host of issues.”
Vance also told the RJC that there is growing suspicion among American under-40s regarding the US-Israel relationship, highlighting the need to articulate to this demographic why the relationship “is in the best interest of the United States of America.”
“To take a very obvious example, we’re working with the Israelis on some extremely top-secret technology that is very, very important for the North American Missile Defense Shield. Because I love my kids; because all of you in this room, we love our kids; we love our grandkids; we want to make sure that if, God forbid, a bad country shoots a missile at the United States of America, we are safe.”
Support for Trump among voters aged 18 to 34 is currently at an all-time low for that age group, according to the most recent Echelon Insights polling.
Nevertheless, Markstein told the Post, the loudest people in the room, the ones cheering the most for Vance, were actually the college students in attendance.
“We had about 300 or 400 college students from all over the country; young, Jewish American leaders of the future, and they were the loudest. They cheered the longest. They were on their feet for the most amount of time for him,” Markstein.
“I think that he has a great opportunity to bring more of those young people into the fold.”
Young people were also the focus of much of Vance and Coleman’s discussion of antisemitism.
Coleman raised the fact that many young people are worried about wearing a Star of David on college campuses, of being assaulted, or of being harassed.
Vance replied that “as the vice president of the United States... America loves our Jewish citizens and respects the contributions of our Jewish citizens.
“And I hope that everybody here knows that from the top of this administration to the vice president on down, we love you guys, we appreciate you guys, and you will very much always be on the team so long as I have any say in it,” Vance said.
Vance invokes Charlie Kirk’s support for Israel and fight against antisemitism
He also drew upon the message of the late Charlie Kirk, who “had criticisms of the Israeli foreign policy, but he loved Israel and said that Jew hatred is corrosive to the soul.”
“Charlie’s message that you cannot be a good human being, you cannot have a good soul if you engage in Jew hatred, that to me is the antidote to what we see out there.”
Speaking about right-wing antisemitism, from figures such as Tucker Carlson or Nick Fuentes, Vance encouraged dialogue with as many people as possible.
While there have been concerns about the Republican Party platforming right-wing antisemites, Vance said, “We have got to be willing to go everywhere and bring our message anywhere and to any person.”
“You have got to meet people where they are and make the arguments as best as you can, and that is, I think, ultimately how you win the political debate. It’s not by shunning people.
“Talk to as many people as possible, but obviously I’m not going to go talk to a guy who’s attacked my wife or who’s said that Hitler was a good guy.
“But outside of some pretty [distinct] lines, I try to talk to as many people as I can,” the vice president said.
Markstein told the Post that Vance “gave a good answer as to where he draws those lines and what those differences are.”
When it comes to important antisemitism, though, Vance was less compromising.
He spoke to RJC of how some of the antisemitism that is rising in the US is actually coming from people “who are bringing ancient ethnic hatreds into the United States.”
“This should be our immigration policy: If you want to bring your ethnic hatreds anywhere, don’t come to the United States of America; you’re not welcome,” he insisted.
Vance also spoke of how these ethnic hatreds are evident in US democratic politicians such as Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
He added, “El-Sayed is one of the worst disgraces running in the history of the American political process.”
Vance noted the frontrunner’s controversial comments about the Michigan synagogue attack, saying, “When your response to that is to empathize with the person who’s going to commit this heinous act of violence – and not with the kids who almost lost their lives at the place that they should be safest in the entire world – the response to that is you’re a disgraceful human being.”
Vance urges support for Mike Rogers’ Senate campaign
He proceeded to call on people to support Mike Rogers’s campaign. Rogers is a recognized leader on national security and a strong advocate for national defense.
“Mike Rogers is, in my view, maybe the single most important candidate right now in this midterm election,” Vance said.
Markstein seconded this: “Abdul El-Sayed is an existential threat to the Jewish community in Michigan. That’s why you’re seeing so many Jewish Democrats in Michigan switch over to support Mike Rogers, who also joined us at the RJC Summit.”
Reflecting on the summit, Markstein told the Post that “RJC hosted cabinet officials, key members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, governors, key opinion leaders, the vice president, and every single one of them got on the stage and talked about why it is so important to stand with the American Jewish community and why the US-Israel relationship is an alliance worth defending.
“You will not find that at any Democratic function in this country right now,” Markstein said.
Regarding Vance specifically, he noted, “We are proud to have the vice president join us at the RJC Leadership Summit.
“He made a very good impression, and I think it showed again the importance and the impact of our organization, how we are this unique bridge between Republican decision-makers and the Jewish community.”
Vance “won over a lot of people in that room,” Markstein concluded.