J.D. Vance refuses to turn on Tucker Carlson as former Fox News personality escalates anti-Trump rhetoric: ‘I’m not going to play the game where I throw friends under the bus’
Vice President J.D. Vance defended his friendship with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson during a White House press briefing, saying he would not abandon the relationship despite Carlson’s escalating criticism of President Donald Trump and opposition to Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan.
Asked about conservatives uneasy with his closeness to the former Fox News host, Vance acknowledged that Carlson had made comments about Trump he considers wrong but said political disagreements should not dictate personal relationships.
Vance said he remained friends with Carlson even after the commentator called for Trump’s removal from office and criticized Rogers while Vance was campaigning for him.
“Not going to play the game where I throw friends under the bus because I have political disagreements,” Vance said.
Vance separates friendship from policy
Vance distinguished his personal loyalty to Carlson from their political disagreements.
“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,” Vance told reporters. “He said some things about the president of the United States that I think are just wrong.”
Vance also addressed Carlson’s apparent support for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over Rogers, the Republican nominee.
Vance said someone had sent him a clip in which Carlson indicated he would support El-Sayed. Vance called El-Sayed “a crazy person” and said that regardless of disagreements over Rogers’ policies, he would prefer a “non-crazy person” representing Michigan in the Senate.
Carlson breaks with Rogers
Carlson’s comments about the Michigan race came during a September 2 episode of The Tucker Carlson Show, recorded with podcaster Saagar Enjeti.
Carlson said he would not vote for Rogers “at gunpoint” and argued that no one should be farther from a position of power than Rogers.
During the same conversation, Carlson appeared to speak favorably about El-Sayed’s campaign, which Enjeti characterized as “Trumpian” in style and substance as El-Sayed’s politics evolved from further-left positions.
Nuclear weapons comments deepen the rift
Carlson’s comments on the Michigan race followed an even sharper break with Trump.
Carlson said Trump should be removed from office if he were considering using nuclear weapons first. He argued that even contemplating such an action should disqualify a president from serving.
“The second any president actively considers the first use of nuclear weapons, that person should be removed from office immediately, because that’s got to be the red line, destroying all of humanity with a nuclear strike,” Carlson said.
Carlson questioned why the standard used in impeachment efforts against Trump during his first term should not apply to a president considering a nuclear first strike.
Why Vance won’t cut ties
Vance offered a personal explanation for maintaining friendships despite political disagreements.
He recalled friends of his wife, Usha Vance, publicly turning against her after Trump selected him as his running mate in 2024. Vance said the experience shaped his view that political disagreements should not determine who people consider friends.
He said his approach reflects his belief that politics and personal relationships should remain separate.
Trump and Carlson’s deteriorating relationship
Carlson’s recent comments represent a significant shift for a commentator who was once a vocal ally of the MAGA movement and Trump personally.
Trump and Carlson have clashed repeatedly in recent months over foreign policy, with Carlson becoming an increasingly vocal critic of the war with Iran.