Vice President JD Vance, holding the White House's first press briefing in 42 days, drew a line between policy and personal loyalty when he was asked about his friendship with Tucker Carlson. Vance said he won't cut ties with Carlson despite sharply rejecting the former Fox host's recent attacks on President Trump, the Hill reports. "Tucker is a friend of mine," Vance said, while calling some of Carlson's remarks about the president "just wrong" and warning against a politics where people "throw friends under the bus" over disagreements.
Carlson this week argued Trump should be removed from office for "actively considering" a first-use nuclear strike on Iran, saying any president who does so "should be removed… immediately." Carlson also blasted Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers, saying he wouldn't vote for him "at gunpoint" and praising Democratic rival Abdul El-Sayed's campaign as "Trumpian." Vance pushed back in his remarks Thursday, labeling Rogers a "non-crazy person" and El-Sayed "crazy," and saying he opposes Carlson's apparent backing of the Democrat.
During the briefing Vance fielded numerous questions on the Iran war and inflation, saying he wouldn't call the Iran war a war because there is "no active shooting." One of the lighter moments came when Peter Doocy from Fox News asked about how Vance appears to have lost a "ton of weight" recently, Mediaite reports. Vance said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had advised eating a lot of protein and a lot of sauerkraut. "So, my advice to you is if you want to lose weight, call Bobby Kennedy," he said. "If you want to enjoy what you eat, do not call Bobby Kennedy."
- Karoline Leavitt's final day as White House press secretary was last week and no replacement has been named. When asked about rumors that Maria Bartiromo would be taking the job after her abrupt departure from Fox News, Vance laughed before saying, "I don't know man. No, I don't think so." He added: "I love Maria. I think she's an amazing person, an amazing talent," per the AP. "Whatever she does, she's gonna do great, and I wish her all the best. She's a very, very dear friend."
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