Even with more than two years left to go before the next presidential election, speculation about who could run is everywhere. Several politicians have publicly flirted with the idea of running for the office in recent months. And polls are capturing a developing picture of who the top possible contenders could be.
Archiv: James David Vance
Nine US Aircraft arrive in Pakistan ahead of JD Vance visit to Islamabad
Source said nine US government aircraft of US Air Mobility Command, operating under “RCH” (Reach) callsigns, have landed at PAF Base Nur Khan, carrying high-level logistics support equipment.
The aircraft convoy is reported to be transporting a range of mission-critical assets, including White House communications systems, Presidential motorcade vehicles and transport units, and Additional operational and support equipment.
Most of flights originated from Joint Base Andrews in the US, a key base used for executive and government transport operations. Several aircraft were also routed through Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where some cargo transfers and aircraft swaps reportedly took place before continuing toward Pakistan.
Vance, Witkoff and Kushner going to Pakistan for Iran talks
Vice President JD Vance, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump‘s son-in-law, will be traveling to Islamabad for talks with Iran, sources familiar told CBS News.
The trio are expected to arrive Monday evening for talks on Tuesday. The two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States is set to expire Tuesday.
Peace talks fail after U.S. warships launch risky Strait of Hormuz action
As the two sides met in a marathon session, the U.S. military announced two of its warships had transited the strait and operated in the Persian Gulf as part of a broader operation to clear the vital trade corridor of sea mines that were laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Iranian forces have threatened to fire on ships that try to transit the strait without their permission. There were no immediate reports of Iranian forces firing on the two U.S. Navy destroyers.
No Deal despite 21 Hours of Intense US-Iran Talks in Islamabad
Vance hailed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir for their role, but did not clarify the impact of the failed talks on the temporary ceasefire.
Vance abruptly departed Islamabad on Sunday after marathon negotiations with Iran failed to produce a deal, exposing deep divisions over nuclear policy and sanctions.
PM Shehbaz, CDF Asim Munir hold key meeting ahead of US-Iran talks in Islamabad
The US-Iran negotiations are set to begin in Islamabad on April 10. Iran’s delegation will be led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while the US team will include Vice President JD Vance, advisor Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, confirmed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Iran says it ‘would be dumb’ for US to let Netanyahu kill diplomacy
“If the US wishes to crater its economy by letting Netanyahu kill diplomacy, that would ultimately be its choice. We think that would be dumb but are prepared for it,” Araghchi wrote.
His comment mirrors language used by US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday. Vance had warned against Iranians letting the ceasefire fall apart over Lebanon, saying, “We think that would be dumb, but that’s their choice.”
US VP Vance says ‘would be dumb’ for Iran to derail ceasefire ‘over Lebanon’
“We have the Iranians promising to open the Strait of Hormuz, and we have a negotiation that’s supposed to start this weekend.”
(…)
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice. We think that would be dumb. But that’s their choice.”
Islamabad to host US-Iran talks on April 10 for final agreement
The Iranian Supreme National Security Council stated that Tehran has sent a ten-point proposal to Washington through Pakistan, which will form the basis of the upcoming talks.
US media outlets, including CNN, reported that the Trump administration is preparing to engage with Iranian officials in Islamabad.
Key American representatives in the discussions may include Vice President J.D. Vance, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff. Vance, currently in Hungary, may adjust his schedule to participate in the Islamabad meeting. Pakistani mediators are also expected to play a role in facilitating the talks.
Hours After US Citizen Shot Dead by ICE, JD Vance Says ‘Door-to-Door’ Operations Are Coming
“This is starting to look disturbingly like Germany in the 1930s.”
Just hours after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed an unarmed US citizen in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance said the agency would soon be going “door to door” across the country to escalate the Trump administration’s mass deportation crusade in the coming year.
Trump Busted Launching Deadly Strikes on Venezuela Without Telling Congress
Those known to be in the circle which ordered the strikes were Trump, JD Vance—who flew from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Palm Beach, Florida on Friday—Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio.
Mike Lee, the Republican U.S. Senator for Utah, made clear that there was no notification to members of Congress by using X to raise questions not long after Trump’s social media declaration.
“I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force,” he said.
Over the past week, my team has made tremendous progress with respect to ending the War between Russia and Ukraine (A War that would have NEVER started if I were President!). Last month 25,000 soldiers died.
The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement. In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians. I will be briefed on all progress made, along with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages. Thank you for your attention to this very important matter, and let’s all hope that PEACE can be accomplished AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
Ukraine: Was ist der Stand bei den Verhandlungen zum Kriegsende?
Carsten Kühntopp berichtet aus dem ARD-Studio Washington, dass mehrere Formulierungen des Papiers tatsächlich wie direkte Übersetzungen aus dem Russischen ins Englischen klingen. Das US-Außenministerium dementierte jedoch: die Russen und Ukrainer hätten lediglich Input für den US-Plan geliefert.
Hochrangige Mitarbeiter in Außenministerium und Nationalem Sicherheitsrat erfuhren laut Kühntopp von dem Plan allerdings erst aus der Presse. Die Verwirrung um die Herkunft des Plans spreche entweder für ein chaotisches Vorgehen der Regierung oder für einen Machtkampf zwischen Rubio, Witkoff, Vizepräsident JD Vance und anderen um den richtigen Kurs gegenüber Russland.
JD Vance rejects claims of Israeli influence on Trump: ‚They are not controlling this president‘
Vance also directly rejected the idea of external control over the president, affirming, “So when people say that Israel is somehow manipulating or controlling the president of the United States, they are not controlling this president of the United States, which is one of the reasons why we have been able to have some of the success we have had in the Middle East.”
Vance reinforced his assertion of the president’s autonomy by referring to the negotiations surrounding the Gaza agreement.
Israel does not control President Trump, JD Vance affirms at TPUSA event
Vance was referring to a question as to Israel‘s alleged influence over US President Donald Trump‘s foreign policy.
„I’m a Christian man, and I’m just confused why there’s this notion that we might owe Israel something or that they are our greatest ally or that we have to support this multi-hundred-billion dollar foreign aid package to Israel to cover this – to quote Charlie Kirk – ethnic cleansing in Gaza,“ the student asked.
Vance says he was insulted by Israeli lawmakers‘ „very stupid political stunt“ on West Bank annexation
Vice President JD Vance criticized on Thursday a vote by the Israeli parliament to advance a bill on the proposed annexation of the occupied West Bank, calling it „a very stupid political stunt.“
„I personally take some insult to it,“ Vance said at Israel‘s Ben Gurion airport as he departed the country after his visit. „The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.
US Vice President Vance to arrive in Israel on Tuesday, Israel Airports Authority says
Today, 1:49 pm
(…)
Israel Airports Authority says traffic disruptions around the airport are expected between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. local time and that some flights are scheduled to be moved to another terminal.
Neither the White House nor the Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed the trip.
Vance says Gaza needs peacekeepers, security setup before Hamas disarms
The US vice president, JD Vance, on Monday said that security infrastructure needs to be in place and international peacekeepers need to deploy to Gaza before Hamas disarms.
“Before we actually can ensure that Hamas is properly disarmed, that’s going to require… some of these Gulf Arab states to get forces in there to actually apply some law and order and some security-keeping on the ground,” Vance told reporters.
“We don’t even have the security infrastructure in place, meaning the Gulf Arab states, our allies, don’t have the security infrastructure in place yet to confirm that Hamas is disarmed,” he added.
Pope Leo XIV meets with US Vice President Vance
The Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Leo XIV met with the Vice President of the United States of America, James David Vance, on Monday morning. The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and their wives were also present at the audience.
The US Vice President and Secretary of State represented the United States at the Pope’s Mass of Inauguration of his Petrine Ministry on Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Square.
Trump confirms National Security Council firings as Waltz‘s Signal chat woes snowball
Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman and as a decorated combat Green Beret, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine‘s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists. Trump and his administration have repeatedly defended the national security leader amid criticisms over the chat leak.
Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence.
Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal
The statements by Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and Trump—combined with the assertions made by numerous administration officials that we are lying about the content of the Signal texts—have led us to believe that people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions. There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared. (…)
At 2 p.m., Waltz responded: “Typing too fast. The first target – their top missile guy – we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed.”
Vance responded a minute later: “Excellent.” Thirty-five minutes after that, Ratcliffe, the CIA director, wrote, “A good start,” which Waltz followed with a text containing a fist emoji, an American-flag emoji, and a fire emoji.
US-Sicherheitspanne zu Jemen-Angriff: „Das soll wohl ein Scherz sein“
Ein Journalist des US-Magazins The Atlantic wurde in eine Chatgruppe eingeladen. In der diskutierten 18 hochrangige Vertreter der US-Regierung über die Angriffe auf die Huthi-Miliz im Jemen, die nur wenige Stunden darauf ausgeführt wurden. Eine Panne, die vor allem bei den Demokraten für massive Empörung sorgt, in den Reihen der Republikaner wird abgewiegelt.
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
According to the lengthy Hegseth text, the first detonations in Yemen would be felt two hours hence, at 1:45 p.m. eastern time. So I waited in my car in a supermarket parking lot. If this Signal chat was real, I reasoned, Houthi targets would soon be bombed. At about 1:55, I checked X and searched Yemen. Explosions were then being heard across Sanaa, the capital city.
I went back to the Signal channel. At 1:48, “Michael Waltz” had provided the group an update. Again, I won’t quote from this text, except to note that he described the operation as an “amazing job.” A few minutes later, “John Ratcliffe” wrote, “A good start.” Not long after, Waltz responded with three emoji: a fist, an American flag, and fire.
Ukrainians must sit down at negotiating table, start talks with President Trump – Vice President Vance
He explained that, in his opinion, the most important thing is not the public statements, such as President Zelenskyy saying he was committed to peace or apologizing to the president. He emphasized that what matters more is what the Ukrainians do to get meaningfully involved in what a peaceful settlement would look like. He stated that they need Ukrainians to come to them privately and say what they need, what they want, and how they will participate in the process of ending the conflict. He concluded that this lack of private participation is what concerns them the most.
‚Come to the table‘: Vance says Ukraine must negotiate for aid to be restored
Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Capitol Hill that Ukraine must “come to the table and start negotiating” in order for aid to be restored and that President Donald Trump is still committed to a rare minerals deal.
‚We‘re looking for peace, we‘re not looking to go into a 10-year-war,‘ Trump says
„We want peace,“ Trump told reporters following the meeting which, he said, „didn‘t work exactly great.“
„He (Zelensky) overplayed his hand (…) we are not looking to go into a 10-year-war and play games, we want peace. He‘s going to have to make peace. He‘s got to stop the fighting, he‘s got to stop the death,“ Trump said, adding that Russia‘s President Vladimir Putin „wants to end it.“
Zelenskyy speaks out after public spat with Trump, Vance, says dustup ‚bad for both sides‘
Zelenskyy said he was „not sure that we did something bad“ when asked about the heated exchange but conceded the dustup was „bad for both sides.“
„I just want to be honest, and I just want our partners to understand the situation correctly, and I want to understand everything correctly. That‘s about us not to lose our friendship,“ he later said.