Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren criticized Vice President JD Vance’s recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, calling the lengthy interview a “huge misstep” and questioning whether the vice president is positioning himself independently of President Donald Trump ahead of a possible 2028 presidential campaign.
Lahren made the remarks Friday during an appearance on Fox Business host Larry Kudlow’s program, where the two discussed Vance’s three-hour conversation with Rogan and its implications for the administration’s foreign policy message.
Kudlow argued that the vice president appeared to be out of step with the president’s approach, particularly regarding Israel and the collapse of efforts to reach a peace agreement with Iran.
According to Kudlow, Vance “doesn’t seem to be in sync with presidential policy,” adding that the vice president appeared to place blame on Israel for negotiations with Iran falling apart.
Lahren expanded on that criticism by arguing that a segment of the political right has increasingly adopted rhetoric that mirrors criticisms traditionally associated with the far left, particularly on issues involving Israel.
She said there is a growing “fringe right” that has embraced accusations that supporters of Israel are secretly influenced or funded by foreign interests, describing those claims as antisemitic tropes.
“There are folks in the podcast world that Charlie [Hurt] doesn’t listen to anymore and I don’t either, but I’m aware of, who have much the same message,” Lahren said.
She added that she frequently encounters similar comments on her own social media posts whenever she discusses Iran or broader foreign policy issues.
“And I’ll see it in my own comments,” she said. “If I make a comment about Iran or whatever, and I’m the most kind of anti-war person, America-first person that there is, but people will say, ‘You’re captured by Israel, AIPAC is paying you off.’”
Lahren argued that such accusations have become a common talking point among some conservatives and said it is unhelpful when the vice president appears to reinforce that narrative.
“That has become a go-to narrative for some on the right as well, and it doesn’t help when our vice president plays into it, even in the slightest bit,” she said. “That Joe Rogan podcast was a huge misstep, and I hope he realizes that.”
During his interview with Rogan, Vance criticized what he described as online influence campaigns directed at critics of Israel.
The vice president specifically cited a report published by Time magazine concerning Brad Parscale, who briefly managed Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, and Parscale’s company, Clock Tower X.
According to Vance, the report detailed an Israeli-funded influence campaign designed to shape public opinion online.
“I definitely think you have seen this very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign to try to derail the negotiation and try to derail the deal,” Vance said while discussing negotiations involving Iran.
Lahren suggested that Vance’s comments may reflect broader political ambitions beyond the current administration, speculating that the vice president could be positioning himself for a future presidential campaign.
“I don’t know if he’s positioning himself in 2028 to be the leader of maybe what might be a more America first, isolationist wing of MAGA,” she said. “Maybe he is, but I don’t think President Trump is going to like that too much.”
The discussion highlighted growing debate among conservative commentators over Vance’s foreign policy messaging and whether it aligns with the broader direction of the Trump administration.
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