Vice President JD Vance treated “Meet the Press” anchor Kristen Welker to a whirlwind trip around the globe during an interview that went to air during Sunday morning’s broadcast — and he addressed everything from President Donald Trump’s domestic policy to the administration’s dealings with communist China and Russia.
For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
Vance sat down for a full interview with Welker, who questioned him about the recent negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of this conflict,” Vance said, adding, “We’re trying to negotiate as much as we can with both the Russians and Ukrainians to find a middle ground to stop the killing.”
“The Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of this conflict,” says @VP.
“We’re trying to negotiate as much as we can with both the Russians and Ukrainians to find a middle ground to stop the killing.” pic.twitter.com/b487LlfIyx
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
Vance gave some details on the concessions made by Russia, and went on to explain that Trump’s goal — rather than trying to deconstruct all the reasons the war started — was to “focus on the nit-picky details of now” and get to where they could stop the fighting.
.@VP: “[@POTUS] is not trying to focus on every nit-picky detail of how this thing started… He’s trying to focus on the nit-picky details of now — of what do the parties disagree on, what do they agree on, and how do you build a foundation from one side of that ledger to the… pic.twitter.com/9C2aXYtFHM
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
Welker immediately challenged him on the Trump administration’s position with regard to China. Noting that China was one of the world’s biggest consumers of Russian oil, she pressed Vance on why the United States was not putting China under heavier sanctions.
“China’s actually the largest buyer of Russian oil,” she said. “Why no sanctions on China?”
“Well, obviously, we have a 54% tariff on the PRC right now, so we’ve already applied pretty hefty sanctions on the Chinese,” Vance shot back. “And we’ve had a number of conversations at all levels over the government to try to encourage the Chinese to be better partners and bring this war to a close.”
NBC: “Why no sanctions on China?”
.@VP: “Obviously, we have a 54% tariff on the PRC right now, so we’ve already applied pretty hefty sanctions on the Chinese…” pic.twitter.com/IUeug9nkkU
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
Welker continued to press, asking, “Where exactly is the pressure on Russia to do anything if you’re not right now imposing new sanctions?”
“The President has applied more economic pressure to the Russians to stop this war than Biden did in three years,” Vance replied. “This is how negotiation works.”
.@VP: “The President has applied more economic pressure to the Russians to stop this war than Biden did in three years… This is how negotiation works.” pic.twitter.com/89lsaNlz8u
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
“This is how wars ultimately get settled,” Vance continued. “They all end with some kind of negotiation … He’s not going to force these parties to walk through the door. All he can do is open the door and ask them to negotiate in good faith.”
.@VP: “This is how wars ultimately get settled… They all end with some kind of negotiation… He’s not going to force these parties to walk through the door. All he can do is open the door and ask them to negotiate in good faith.” pic.twitter.com/OcFx8ZCYGq
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
Despite hearing it directly from President Donald Trump in recent weeks, Welker asked Vance to “guarantee” that there would not be American “boots on the ground” if it came to defending Ukraine in a more direct fashion.
“The President has been very clear. There are not going to be [American] boots on the ground in Ukraine,” Vance replied.
.@VP: “The President has been very clear. There are not going to be [American] boots on the ground in Ukraine.” pic.twitter.com/21LqlibKcU
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
“We don’t control what Russia does. If we did, the war would’ve been over seven months ago,” Vance continued. “What we do believe, though, is that … the President of the United States has a lot of cards left to play to apply pressure.”
.@VP: “We don’t control what Russia does. If we did, the war would’ve been over seven months ago. What we do believe, though, is that… the President of the United States has a lot of cards left to play to apply pressure.” pic.twitter.com/qOvXQB9NEQ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
On the domestic front, Welker pressed Vance to defend Texas Republicans and their newly-drawn Congressional map — one that is likely to afford Republicans as many as five additional seats in the 2026 midterms. Vance pushed right back, arguing that Democrats had been gerrymandering their states to unfair advantage for decades and saying that Republicans only meant to tip the scales back into balance.
“All we’re doing, frankly, is trying to make the situation a little bit more fair,” he said. “Democrats have gerrymandered their states really aggressively. We think there are opportunities to push back against that, and that’s really all we’re doing.”
“All we’re doing, frankly, is trying to make the situation a little bit more fair,” says @VP on redistricting.
“Democrats have gerrymandered their states really aggressively. We think there are opportunities to push back against that, and that’s really all we’re doing.” pic.twitter.com/q06A8CkniT
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
“We’re literally losing representatives for American citizens in order to give congressional representation to illegal aliens,” Vance added, explaining that illegal aliens were being counted in the census for the purposes of congressional apportionment, meaning that “they end up getting congressional representation that ought, by right, go to American citizens.”
“We’re literally losing representatives for American citizens in order to give congressional representation to illegal aliens,” says @VP.
“Republicans are trying to balance out the scales a little bit for basic fairness and for the integrity of our democracy.” pic.twitter.com/uxxDXQJege
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
.@VP on illegal aliens in the Census: “They do go in the congressional apportionment. That’s why California has so many more seats is because they count illegal aliens… They end up getting congressional representation that ought, by right, go to American citizens.” pic.twitter.com/Lfu3kYaM6N
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
And when it came to the deployment of the National Guard and the crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital, Vance once again laid out the reasoning in straightforward fashion. “Allowing vagrants and armed robberies to take over your city — that’s a policy choice. What President Trump is showing that if you just empower local law enforcement to arrest and prosecute the bad guys, we can take back American streets,” he said.
.@VP: “Allowing vagrants and armed robberies to take over your city — that’s a policy choice. What President Trump is showing that if you just empower local law enforcement to arrest and prosecute the bad guys, we can take back American streets.” pic.twitter.com/upsNXlZDui
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
Watch the full interview below:
WATCH IN FULL: @VP @JDVance‘s interview on @MeetThePress pic.twitter.com/s7s0eCZXAG
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025
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