JD Vance To Host Shabbat Dinner as He Seeks To Woo Jewish Voters Amid 2028 Buzz

Vice President JD Vance is reportedly hosting a Shabbat dinner as he tries to improve relations with Jewish Republicans amid what appears to be growing momentum for a 2028 campaign. The guest list for the Shabbat dinner originally included 40 names, the Jewish News Syndicate reported. However, the list of attendees has been whittled down in an attempt to keep the conversations private. Mr. Vance’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Mr. Vance has faced scrutiny over his links to right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson — who has frequently criticized Israel and promoted antisemitic tropes — and his comments about the Jewish state. But with growing buzz about the prospect of him becoming the Republican Party’s 2028 presidential nominee, he is trying to improve relations with Jewish Republicans, who have expressed concerns about his commitment to supporting Israel. Mr. Trump championed the phrase “America First” on the campaign trail, but has also cast himself as an ardent supporter of Israel. In July, he declared that Israel would “not be around anymore” if he were not elected. Mr. Vance, by contrast, has not consistently expressed the same level of support. Speaking at a conference organized by the All-In podcast on Tuesday, the vice president said that Israel is an “important” partner, but said America cannot be “subservient” to it. Mr. Vance has stepped up his efforts to woo Jewish voters in recent weeks. The report of the dinner comes after he met with a Jewish conservative radio host, Sid Rosenberg, at the White House.Mr. Rosenberg, a Trump supporter, told Politico that the vice president asked for the meeting and said the conversation would be a chance to get to know him. The radio host said that Mr. Vance has a “big problem” with his relationship with the Jewish community and its doubts about his support for Israel — as well as his refusal to disavow Mr. Carlson. “If he really wants to win in ‘28, he has no choice but to, at the very least, distance himself from [Mr. Carlson] if not completely disavow him,” Mr. Rosenberg said as he suggested the vice president has “pissed off the Jews and many Trump supporters.”Mr. Rosenberg said he hoped to hear Mr. Vance make a commitment to support Israel and avoid Mr. Carlson, but said he didn’t know if he would get such assurances. Last month, Mr. Vance attended a closed-door meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition leadership summit. During the meeting, he said that working with Israel is “in the best interest of the United States,” and said that leaders need to “get out there and talk about” why that is the case.Mr. Vance also expressed concerns about rising antisemitism. However, he refused to denounce Mr. Carlson. During his speech, he said, “I recognize a lot of people in this room may disagree with things that Tucker Carlson or Megyn Kelly or Joe Rogan have said.“I think it’s a mistake to sort of say we’re going to write Joe Rogan off because he said something that we don’t like,” Mr. Vance added. “I think the best approach is to actually go in there and talk to him and make the argument as best as you can.”During a White House press briefing earlier this month, Mr. Vance said “Tucker is a friend of mine” and that he is “not going to play the game where I throw my friends under the bus because I have political disagreements with them.”A YouGov/Bowling Green State University poll released earlier this month found Mr. Vance is the early favorite to win the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, with 44 percent of respondents saying they would back the vice president, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio coming in second with 21 percent.

JD Vance To Host Shabbat Dinner as He Seeks To Woo Jewish Voters Amid 2028 Buzz

JD Vance To Host Shabbat Dinner as He Seeks To Woo Jewish Voters Amid 2028 Buzz

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