Vice President JD Vance pushed back at former President Joe Biden’s recent criticism about the Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Vance dismissed Biden’s comments and criticized his past foreign policy decisions.
“I think it’s rich for Joe Biden to comment on anything that we’re doing when it comes to Russia and Ukraine,” Vance told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on The Story. “Under Biden’s administration, Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine… I wish Joe Biden the best. I don’t really care what he has to say about American foreign policy because so much of what he actually did was a total disaster.”
Biden’s remarks came during a BBC interview earlier this week, where he said the Trump-Vance meeting with Zelenskyy was “beneath America.” Vance defended the meeting and repeated that the Trump administration supports Ukraine as a sovereign nation. However, he also made it clear that the U.S. might reduce its role in leading peace talks if Russia doesn’t engage seriously.
“We obviously want Ukraine to remain a sovereign country,” Vance said. “We knew that the Russians’ first offer would be too much. We knew that they would ask for more than was reasonable to give. That’s how negotiations often work. I’m not bothered by that.”
“What would bother me is if we conclude that the Russians are not engaging in the negotiation in good faith. And if that happens, yeah, we’re [going to] walk away,” he added. Even though Russia recently rejected a ceasefire plan, Vance said the fact that talks are happening is a good sign. “I actually think it’s progress that they’re even talking,” he said. “We’re putting concrete peace plans on the table.”
Vance also spoke about the new U.S.-UK trade deal, the administration’s first official tariff agreement. Earlier this year, the Trump administration applied a 10% reciprocal tariff on goods from the UK, along with additional tariffs on other products like vehicles and steel.
President Trump commented on Truth Social, saying, “Because of our long time history and allegiance together, it is a great honor to have the United Kingdom as our FIRST announcement. Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!”
Vance said the UK was chosen for the first deal because of its strong relationship with the U.S. and willingness to negotiate. He also spoke about the ongoing trade dispute with China, which responded with high tariffs of its own. Still, he said the administration is focused on getting trade deals that support American businesses and workers.
“We’re [going to] have a conversation with them. We’ll see where it leads,” he said. “We just [want a] deal with any country, whether it’s China or anybody else that makes American workers and American businesses in a better position,” Vance added. He said reaching that goal is “very achievable.”
When asked about domestic issues, Vance addressed progress on DOGE, a government task force focused on reducing waste and fraud, even as Elon Musk has stepped away from daily operations.
“Elon’s not disappearing,” Vance said. “Nobody said that the work of DOGE would only last 110 days and that would be it… We think there’s a lot more waste and fraud that we can find.” He confirmed that Attorney General Pam Bondi is working on legal cases against individuals suspected of major fraud, with possible prosecutions coming soon.
“I know that she’s working on building the case against some of these people who have committed absolute fraud on the American people. You’re [going to] see some of those prosecutions over the next few years,” he said. Vance was also asked about rumors of rivalry with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, especially since both are seen as possible presidential candidates for 2028. He denied any conflict.
“Marco’s actually my, probably my best friend in the administration,” Vance said. “We hang out and talk all the time. He’s doing a really good job. And, of course, I’m doing the best job that I can.” Still, Vance didn’t rule out running for president in 2028. “I can see myself doing a really good job for the next 1,100 days, and then the American people can figure it out from there,” he said.
