In What Could Have Been ‘Sister Souljah Moment,’ Vance Declines To Break With Tucker Carlson During Meeting With Jewish Republican Leaders

Vice President JD Vance, as he considers whether to seek the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, is looking to shore up his bases with key GOP constituencies, including ardently pro-Israel Republicans. During a meeting with leaders of the Republican Jewish Coalition, however, Mr. Vance left some attendees concerned after declining to denounce commentator Tucker Carlson.Mr. Vance was one of the chief advocates of embracing a “new media” strategy during the 2024 campaign, going on podcasts like “The Joe Rogan Experience,” a show hosted by comedian Theo Von, and another with comedian Tim Dillon. Many of those same people have grown increasingly critical of Israel, leaving Mr. Vance caught in the middle of his own possible presidential ambitions and his role as number two in the most ardently pro-Israel administration in modern history. Mr. Vance flew to Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday to meet with leaders of the Republican Jewish Coalition, a powerful group of pro-Israel donors and activists. At the coalition’s meetings, individuals of various faiths address the crowd to tout American support for the Jewish state.Late Monday, Mr. Vance participated in a fireside chat with members of the RJC rather than give a speech. As he took questions from the audience, the vice president was asked about podcasters like Mr. Carlson and Megyn Kelly, as well as the notorious Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. A member of RJC’s board of directors who was in the room with Mr. Vance, attorney Eric Levine, tells the New York Sun that Mr. Vance was “well-received,” though he could have done more to assuage concerns. “It was an affirmatively good thing that he came. At a minimum, it demonstrates that he believes that it’s an important constituency,” Mr. Levine said, referring to conservative Zionists of all faiths. He said, however, that Mr. Vance should do more to distance himself from the likes of Mr. Carlson, Ms. Kelly, and another podcaster, Candace Owens, all of whom Mr. Levine says are equivalent to Hasan Piker, the anti-Israel Twitch streamer. “They hate Jews and they hate Israel. So, I would have preferred he had unambiguously distanced himself from Tucker Carlson,” he said. Mr. Levine argued that it could have been a kind of “Sister Souljah moment” for Mr. Vance, referring to President Clinton’s 1992 repudiation of hip-hop artist Sister Souljah, who had made derogatory remarks about white people.“It would have brought the place down,” Mr. Levine said of Mr. Vance’s missed opportunity. “He chose not to.”Mr. Vance’s office did not respond to a message from the Sun seeking comment. In audio first published by the Daily Wire, Mr. Vance can be heard on Monday night declining to distance himself from Mr. Carlson after being asked about several podcasters who have “platformed antisemites.” Mr. Vance, when asked about Messrs. Carlson, Rogan, and Fuentes, and Ms. Kelly, the vice president acknowledged that pro-Israel Republicans may have disagreements with Mr. Carlson and Ms. Kelly, though he did not discuss the two further. He instead talked about the difference between Messrs. Rogan and Fuentes. “I think these are two very, very different categories of people,” Mr. Vance said of Messrs. Rogan and Fuentes. “One: I don’t think that Joe Rogan and Nick Fuentes are the same, just substantively. But as a political matter, I think that we’ve got to be willing to go everywhere and bring our message anywhere and to any person.”“You gotta meet people where they are. … But obviously I’m not gonna go talk to a guy who’s attacked my wife or who said Hitler was a good guy,” Mr. Vance said of Mr. Fuentes. “But outside of some pretty bright lines, I try to talk to as many people as I can.”

In What Could Have Been ‘Sister Souljah Moment,’ Vance Declines To Break With Tucker Carlson During Meeting With Jewish Republican Leaders

In What Could Have Been ‘Sister Souljah Moment,’ Vance Declines To Break With Tucker Carlson During Meeting With Jewish Republican Leaders

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