Vance CBS Town Hall: 2028 Doubts and Iran Grilling
The vance cbs town hall aired Saturday evening, putting the vice president in front of Michigan voters for an hour of pointed questions on the economy, the Iran war, immigration and his own political future.
The program, “Things That Matter: A Town Hall With Vice President JD Vance,” was hosted by CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil before an audience in Flat Rock, Michigan — a swing state holding a tight Senate race that could help decide control of the upper chamber in next month’s midterms.
Vance on 2028: “Of Course There’s a Chance” He Won’t Run
Vance is widely viewed as an early frontrunner for the 2028 Republican nomination, and President Donald Trump has called him his “most likely” successor while joking about a potential contest between Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Asked by Dokoupil whether there was any chance he would not run, Vance said: “Of course there’s a chance.”
The vice president described himself as a procrastinator on big life decisions, saying he would “have to think about it.” He noted that he and his wife, Usha Vance, have four young children, and that she “has never loved politics,” though “she loves public service.”
A Widow’s Question on the Iran War
The sharpest exchange came from Joey Amor, whose wife, Master Sgt. Nicole Amor, was among the American soldiers killed by an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait — an attack that came the day after Trump started the war with Iran. Amor asked Vance about mistakes leading up to the deaths and how leaders would be held accountable.
“This literally is the first time I’ve heard of this,” Vance responded. He said the job was “an amazing honor,” but added that “you live in a bit of a bubble and sometimes information doesn’t filter up.”
He went on to acknowledge that errors had been made: “There were issues with where troops were located that we realized was a huge mistake that we could do better on, and we have changed that.”
Gas Prices and the Biden Blame
The first question came from a 43-year-old Detroit barber who asked why gas prices remain far higher than during Trump’s first term. Vance pointed to Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping, which disrupted global energy markets, and laid most of the blame on the Biden administration — saying roughly 20 percent of American refining capacity went offline under Joe Biden.
Vance said the Trump administration was using the Defense Production Act to help restore domestic refining capacity, but cautioned that rebuilding that infrastructure would take time. Dokoupil pushed back, noting that Trump and Vance have been in office for nearly two years while Americans continue paying high prices at the pump.
Source: CBS News