JD Vance is Not Israel's Friend

Conservative lawyer and commentator Marina Medvin is fuming (and she's not alone) over what she calls an "insane anti-Israel question, full of propaganda" lobbed at Vice President JD Vance during a recent interview. In a post that's exploded to over 300,000 views since early this morning, Medvin shared a clip of Vance fielding the query, slamming his response as "adding his own fuel to the fire" and dubbing the whole exchange an "absolute dumpster fire."

But the real stinger? She ties it to Vance's tight-knit bromance with Tucker Carlson, hinting that the ex-Fox host's influence explains why Carlson's son, Buckley, snagged a plum gig as Vance's deputy press secretary back in January.

It's a raw nerve in MAGA's fault lines: pro-Israel hawks vs. the America First isolationists who whisper that endless aid to the Jewish state is a sucker bet.

The clip captures a softball-turned-landmine from host Megyn Kelly. Kelly, no stranger to spicy takes, asked: "Some say Israel's actions in Gaza are disproportionate and that U.S. funding is enabling a humanitarian catastrophe, does the administration plan to condition aid on civilian protections, or is this just more blank-check Zionism draining American taxpayers?"

It's a classic loaded gun: Framing Israel's post-October 7 operations (which have killed over 42,000 Palestinians per Gaza health officials) as a "catastrophe" while nodding to "Zionism" tropes that echo antisemitic "dual loyalty" whispers.

Kelly's question draws on real debates, U.S. aid hit $17.9 billion in 2024 amid campus protests and GOP grumbles, but the phrasing reeks of the anti-Israel boilerplate Carlson peddles on his X show.Vance's reply? He didn't swat it away.

Instead, he leaned in: "Look, Israel's a vital ally, but we're not writing blank checks anymore. President Trump and I have made clear: We support Israel's right to defend itself, but endless wars aren't in America's interest. We've pushed for precision strikes and a ceasefire that doesn't reward Hamas—because at the end of the day, it's U.S. blood and treasure on the line, not just Tel Aviv's."

It's a tightrope walk: Affirming Israel while echoing the "America First" restraint that's Carlson's bread-and-butter. Medvin's beef? Vance "added fuel" by validating the premise of "disproportionate" actions and U.S. overreach, without a full-throated rebuke. "This isn't leadership—it's equivocation," she posted.

Pro-Vance MAGA diehards called it "real talk," while Jewish conservatives like David French lamented, "JD's drifting into Tucker territory, bad for Jews, bad for the party."|

The Carlson Connection: Friends, Family, and Fault LinesMedvin's zinger—"now I understand why he’s such good friends with Tucker Carlson and why Tucker’s son works for JD"—hits at a web of alliances that's long irked pro-Israel Republicans. Vance and Carlson go way back: The Tucker Carlson Tonight host was a key cheerleader for Vance's 2022 Senate run, platforming him as the anti-establishment hillbilly elegy author turned populist warrior. Carlson reportedly lobbied Trump hard to pick Vance as VP in 2024, drowning out moderates like Marco Rubio.

Their bond deepened post-election: Vance guested on Carlson's X show multiple times, including a September 2025 sit-down where he defended Trump's Gaza "Riviera" redevelopment pitch amid annexation whispers.

Enter Buckley Carlson: The 28-year-old Tucker's eldest son (from his marriage to Susie Andrews) was tapped as Vance's deputy press secretary in the VP's office right after Inauguration Day. Buckley's resume? A stint at PragerU (a conservative media outfit) and ghostwriting for his dad's dispatches, no formal journalism creds, but plenty of family pull.

Rumors swirled in June 2025 when a Politico leak on Vance's Iran-Israel wariness was pinned on "Buckley's whisper network," prompting Vance to blast the accuser as a "loser" DeSantis stan.

Medvin's implying nepotism with an edge: Is Buckley's hire payback for Tucker's kingmaking, or a pipeline for the elder Carlson's "question U.S. aid" gospel? Vance's response then? A milquetoast "free speech" dodge, refusing to condemn Carlson while insisting he's "no stronger supporter of Israel."

Jewish Dems in Congress united to blast him for it, per Haaretz.

But look a tiny bit closer and a pattern emerges:

Vance voted against $14B in Israel aid twice in 2024 (one of 15 GOP no's the second time), citing "isolationism" that hurts the U.S.-Israel bond.

He slammed Israel's October 2025 annexation push as a "stupid political stunt" during a Tel Aviv trip.

Jewish Republicans like Medvin see red flags: Vance's Carlson coziness (including a planned September 2025 Hershey, PA, joint event) risks normalizing fringes.

Forward op-eds ask if Jews will stomach Holocaust denial tolerance for political gain, while DNC ads hammer it as "MAGA extremism."

Yet Vance's base, Rust Belt populists, loves the "no more forever wars" line.

One thing is certain: JD Vance likes Israel a helluva let loss than Joe Biden and Trump combined.