JD Vance Affirms Friendship with Tucker Carlson Amid Political Disagreements

<p>Vice President JD Vance stated on Thursday that he maintains his friendship with Tucker Carlson, despite Carlson's recent comments calling for the removal of President Donald Trump and criticizing Mike Rogers, a Republican candidate, during the same week Vance supported Rogers.</p><p>During a White House press briefing, Vance addressed concerns from conservatives regarding his close relationship with Carlson, who has been critical of Trump and the Republican Party. Vance acknowledged their friendship, saying, “Everybody knows that Tucker Carlson and I are friends, and I think it’s very obvious that Tucker has said some things that I disagree with. He said some things about the President of the United States that I think are just wrong.”</p><p>Vance's remarks followed Carlson's assertion that he could not support Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed in the upcoming Michigan Senate race. Vance expressed his view on El-Sayed, stating, “I think El-Sayed’s a crazy person. And I think whatever your views on Mike Rogers’ specific policy prescriptions, I’d like to have a non-crazy person like Mike Rogers representing Michigan in the United States Senate, rather than a crazy person like El-Sayed.”</p><p>He emphasized that differing opinions would not end his friendship with Carlson, recalling how friends of his wife, Usha Vance, distanced themselves from her after Trump selected him as his running mate in 2024. Vance remarked, “I remember thinking to myself, what a travesty it is that in the United States of America, we let political disagreements define who our friends are going to be and not going to be.”</p><p>Vance reiterated, “So yeah, Tucker is a friend of mine. Tucker is a friend, despite the fact that we disagree on a number of things. And I’m not gonna play the game where I throw friends under the bus because I have political disagreements with them.”</p><p>In a recent podcast episode, Carlson and commentator Saagar Enjeti praised El-Sayed for his “America First” campaign, highlighting his opposition to U.S. support for Israel and his focus on affordable healthcare. Enjeti noted, “He stands in front of a giant American flag. It’s almost Trumpian in terms of a lot —” to which Carlson responded, “Well, it’s literally Trumpian.”</p><p>Carlson also stated he “wouldn’t vote for Mike Rogers at gunpoint” and suggested that Rogers should be kept away from positions of power. He has previously criticized the Trump administration's policies regarding the war in Iran and raised controversy by questioning whether Trump could be the “Antichrist” after Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus.</p><p>Vance concluded by emphasizing the importance of maintaining friendships across political divides, stating, “If you have a disagreement with somebody politically, even over a deeply held issue, you should still be friends with that person, because the whole republic depends on people of different perspectives being able to talk to one another.”</p>