JD Vance won praise Sunday for his takedown of NBC’s Kristen Welker as she attempted to grill him over Donald Trump‘s peace talks with Vladimir Putin.
The vice president fired back at the liberal media host when asked if the Russians were ‘stringing President Trump along.’
Vance told Welker that ‘the Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of this conflict.’
He added that the Russians have ‘actually been willing to be flexible on some of their core demands. They’ve talked about what would be necessary to end the war. Of course, they haven’t been completely there yet, or the war would be over.’
‘We are trying to negotiate as much as we can with both the Russians and the Ukrainians to find a middle ground to stop the killing. I think what the president has tried to do here is try to engage in very aggressive, very energetic diplomacy because this war is not in anyone’s interest,’ Vance told Welker.
Conservative commentator and Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk applauded Vance’s breakdown of Trump’s diplomacy, adding that he explained ‘diplomacy to Kristen Welker like he’s talking to a fifth grader.’
Vance was present during President Trump’s meeting with European leaders and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Monday. This time around, he took a gentler approach, when compared to the spat Zelensky and Vance had back in February when the vice president accused the Ukrainian of being disrespectful of the assistance his nation had been given by America.
Vance also told Welker that the current administration does not ‘think it’s in Russia or Ukraine’s interest to keep going. So we’re going to keep on pushing for a diplomatic solution.’
JD Vance appears on Meet the Press with host Kristen Welker on August 24, 2025
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on X
The VP was also asked by Welker if he sees himself as heir apparent of the MAGA movement.
Polling from JL Partners indicates that Vice President JD Vance is the “clear favorite” to succeed Trump, with 46 percent of Republican voters favoring him to be the 2028 GOP presidential nominee.
Vance noted that he is currently focused on doing the job the American people have already chosen him for.
‘I see myself as a vice president who’s trying to do a good job for the American people, Kristen. And if I do a good job, and if the president continues to be successful, as I know that he will be, the politics will take care of itself,’ Vance responded to the inquiry.
‘The next election that matters is not the election of 2028. It’s 2026.’
Ahead of the midterms, the Democrats are facing an uphill battle.
A new analysis of Americans’ voter registration habits points to potential long-term trouble for the Democratic Party.
Data analyzed by the New York Times has revealed that the number of registered Democrats has declined in every state that tracks voter affiliation by party – a group that includes 30 of America’s 50 states.
JD Vance appears on Meet the Press, August 24, 2025
Vice President JD Vance joins as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC
The remaining 20 states do not register voters by party.
This trend was consistent between swing states, red states, and blue states.
The New York Times notes that explicitly, ‘fewer and fewer Americans are choosing to be Democrats.’
The Times attributes Trump’s sweeping 2024 victory – including wins in every swing state and the national popular vote – to this very trend.
