DOUBLE WHAMMY

Trump Throws Vance Under the Bus Twice in One Night

The president made sure to emphasize his number two left out an important detail.

President Donald Trump has hit his second-in-command with a shady one-two punch over his lengthy post citing the war in Iran as the primary factor for Democrats’ historic midterm victory.

Trump, 80, told reporters Sunday night that Vice President JD Vance left out an important clarification in his comments on the war with Iran, shortly before he reiterated a similar stance in his 60 Minutes interview that aired less than an hour later.

“A lot of people didn’t like his comments, but not me,” the president told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida. “He was right, other than one thing. He should’ve made one other statement—one statement that I think is very important: If you had it to do again, would you do it again? The answer is yes.”

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He continued, “I can tell you, if I had it to do again—this historically, for history, will go down as one of the best things we ever did. Because if they ever had a nuclear weapon, they would blow up the world. You know why? Because they’re crazy.”

Vance’s communications director, Taylor Van Kirk, responded to a clip of Trump’s comments, emphasizing that the president agreed with his number two.

“Dishonest out of context clip from Rupar yet again!” Van Kirk wrote.

The White House’s “Rapid Response” account also chimed in, clarifying that Trump has repeatedly agreed with Vance’s analysis.

“A lot of people are hellbent on creating division where it doesn’t exist, but the fact is there is ZERO DAYLIGHT between @POTUS and @VP on Iran — as @POTUS has repeatedly stated,” the account wrote.

Vance, 42, shared a lengthy post on Wednesday detailing what he believed caused Democrats’ soaring victory in the midterms.

The vice president cited the frustration with the cost of living and America’s relationship with Israel, along with the war in Iran, as the main factors for why voters skewed toward the Democratic Party.

“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote on X. “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.”

“But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there,” he added.

On Sunday night, not even an hour after his comments to the press, the president appeared in a primetime interview with 60 Minutes, where he shared a similar take.

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Asked by conservative journalist Ross Douthat about Vance’s post saying “the reason we lost is the war,” Trump reiterated his position.

“He asked me what do I think. I said, ‘You write what you want. By the way, what are you gonna write?’” the president explained in an interview recorded on Friday. “The only thing I wish he would have said there—if he felt it, and you’d have to ask him about that—but if you had to do it again, would you do it?”

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Trump added, “You know, he’s part of a decision-making process. And my answer is an emphatic yes because you can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon. I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not. But you know, I have to go with what’s right for our country. If they had a nuclear weapon during my term, I would be excoriated far worse than what’s happened.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Vance’s office for comment.

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Vic VerbalaitisNight Breaking News Reporter

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